The Final Game
by Ssjshadic
Summary: A tale of a universe where a rampaging evil has destroyed countless worlds, and now, only a handful of heroes remain to stop the terror...
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Introductions

Our story begins with a scene of four cloaked and hooded figures, running through the pouring rain of a deadly storm, traveling light, hidden from view by the darkness of the night. Suddenly a shout from one of the cloaked figures pierced the air.

"PARAKOOPAS!"

Even as the warning breached the cloaked ones ears, a dozen red and green shelled flying Koopas began swooping down at the group. Immediately, each of the four hooded figures scattered in different directions, one turning around and leaping into the air to knock two of the winged turtles out of the sky. Another copied the first's attack patterns of jumping to knock them to the ground, while another crouched and began building up momentum in place, launching himself at the flying foes.

"If it's an aerial battle they want, I'll be more than happy to give it."

With those words, the fourth unfolded two black, dragon-like wings, taking to the air to prove his mastery of the sky. Oddly, the Parakoopas couldn't be denied their flight by the usual method of jumping on their shells.

"They've been physically reinforced with magic!" one of the jumpers shouted.

The other jumper glared angrily at the airborne Koopas, then called out to his flying comrade.

"Ryu! See if you can damage their wings! I'll take care of them once they're on the ground!"

Doing as he was instructed, Ryu, as the cloaked flyer was named, flew up behind one of the Parakoopas and snapped its wings hollow bones with a dive bomb, taking down the others quickly in the same way. The cloaked man who had called the attack stood over one of the fallen Koopas, and pulled back his fist as it started to glow, seeming to be aflame.

"Sayonara, turtle faced bastards. FLAME DRAGON!"

The cloaked figure flung his flaming fist toward the twelve downed Koopas, a dragon shaped wave of fire sweeping out from his hand, burning all but their shells to ashes. With that, the group hurried on their way, making shelter in a hidden cave, using a fire for light as one by one they took off their cloaks.

"Nice going back there. But wasn't that a little overkill for just a bunch of flying turtles? I'm sure with your experience fighting them, you could've taken them out in a more energy efficient way, right, Mario?"

The red clad plumber grinned, wringing out his drenched hat before replacing it on his head.

"I'm sure I could. But I didn't want to spend too much longer in that storm. You must've felt the same way, what with your extreme dislike of getting wet. Am I right, Sonic?"

The blue hedgehog laughed, shaking the water out of his blue spines. Mario covered his face from being drenched, wringing his hat out again, his grin turning to a look of worry as his gaze drifted off.

"I hope Luigi's okay. He's totally unfamiliar with your world and it's dangers."

Sonic punched the plumber's shoulder reassuringly.

"Hey, how do you think I feel, fighting freaking turtles and deformed walking mushrooms? Besides, your brother's got Knuckles with him. That stubborn echidna will keep an eye out for Luigi. Besides, with a mind like Tails' to keep them out of trouble, they'll be fine for a while."

Mario punched the blue hedgehogs shoulder in response, grinning again, turning to one of his comrades that stood away from the rest of the group near the cave entrance.

"Ryu! Come on over and warm up by the fire!"

The black Yoshi grunted in response, shaking the rain out of his wings and folding them neatly at his side, wandering over to the fire, sitting on the side opposite the other two, then looked suspiciously at Sonic.

"How do we know that your two comrades are trustworthy, hedgehog? We (he gestured to himself and Mario) hardly know anything of them."

The blue hedgehog stood up, slightly offended by the Yoshi's comment.

"First off, they're my friends, not comrades. Secondly, they are the two most trustworthy friends I know. Knuckles may be a fool at times, but Tails will reign him in since I can't."

With that, the blue hero sat back down.

"I mean no disrespect towards you or your friends, Sonic. I am simply concerned with Luigi's well being in a world unknown and hostile to him."

The three were silenced by the fourth of their group raising his hand, the only one who had no origin within either the Mushroom Kingdom nor Mobius. He lowered his hand, wrung out his orange hat like Mario had, and replaced it on his head. He was strangely dressed similarly to Mario, except for the initial on his hat. It was a bold, orange J.

"We need to make a plan of action."

* * *

The scene shifts from the cave to deep within a dense forest, inside the hollow trunk of a huge tree on Mobius.

* * *

Tails was busying himself with possible plans the group could consider for where to head tomorrow, while Knuckles was near the entrance to the shelter of the tree, gazing at the stars in the sky. From another small room, Luigi entered with a hot cup of tea, sitting himself near Tails, feeling somewhat alienated by his other two companions, as he had never known of them or met them. Now, here he was, in their world, one completely new and strange to him, wishing his older brother, Mario, was there with him. The silence was finally broken by Knuckles, as he turned in the entryway towards the other two.

"Luigi, right?"

The green plumber nodded, relieved that someone was at least breaking the tension he felt between him and his traveling companions. The red echidna grunted in response, leaning against the wall.

"I've heard about you through Sonic, the blue hedgehog you saw earlier, who heard about you through your brother."

Luigi grinned and nodded, remembering his brother telling him about the stories he had often exchanged with the blue hedgehog, although he had never met Sonic until recently. Tails, however, who had stopped working on his plans and was listening intently to the conversation, looked confused.

"But Knuckles, I thought Sonic and Luigi's brother, Mario, were sworn enemies?"

Knuckles and Luigi laughed before the echidna guardian answered.

"More like war buddies, Tails. You see, they were just on different sides of a conflict, but they have great respect for one another. They secretly helped each other in combat without arousing suspicion from their leaders."

Luigi took over, smiling and sipping his tea as he spoke.

"After Mario's superiors turned their attention to more immediate threats, he and Sonic often met to exchange battle stories, talk about their adventures, and even though it wasn't often, asking each other for advice."

Tails couldn't picture Sonic asking anyone for advice, let alone Mario. Unsure of what to say, he changed the subject.

"Luigi, was your world in trouble before we were all met at the Gateway?" (The Gate that allows travel between the MK and Mobius, accessible only by a special warp pipe in the Star World or chaos control using the Master Emerald)

The green clad Italian's grin quickly disappeared. Luigi looked down at his feet, thinking back on all the destruction that had happened before he, Mario and Ryu had left. He cringed thinking of what kind of state his world was in now. Silently, he nodded, then stood up, setting his tea down and excused himself, wandering out of the safety of the tree. Tails and Knuckles looked at one another and shrugged. Outside, Luigi wandered around and sat himself near a giant mushroom, looking up at the stars, thinking about his brother wishing he was with him. The green plumber wanted to tell his brother that all that was happening, all that was going wrong in the Mushroom Kingdom, was probably his fault. Angrily he voiced who he believed to be behind the horrors happening in his world.

"Mr. L..."

Something moved in the brush nearby, and within seconds, the green hero was on his feet, his thunderhand crackling with electricity.

"WHO'S THERE?!"

After a few minutes of silence, Luigi relaxed and started back toward the refuge of the tree, unaware that he was being watched by a pair of red, glowing eyes from the shadows...


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Questions

On his way back to the shelter of the tree, something gleaming in the moonlight caught Luigi's eye. Wary that it could be a lure into any number of traps, the green plumber took out his hammer and inched his way toward the source of the reflected moonlight he had seen. What he found seemed to be an oddly well-carved, colorless gemstone. Wondering if the jewel might be of value, Luigi tapped it with his hammer. He was rewarded for his curiosity with a cracked hammerhead, yet the gemstone didn't even have a scratch on it. Figuring that it must be worth something, the Italian plumber pocketed the stone, deciding to ask his companions about it once he returned to their base.

* * *

The scene shifts to within an enormous airship, showing a shadowed, huge figure seated before a dozen different monitors, each showing a different part of Mobius

* * *

Into the presence of the daunting figure viewing the monitors patiently, entered a hedgehog like android, kneeling as it addressed its master.

"Sir, sighting of an unknown life form reported in sector 7. Mushroom Hill Zone."

The android's master was silent briefly before he spoke. His voice was as cold and smooth as stainless steel.

"Your information will be acted upon, 205. You are dismissed."

"Sir."

The android stood at attention, then turned to leave its master to his work. The only signs that it had left, or had even been there at all, was the light that briefly reflected off the golden rings on its wrists before the metallic door sealed shut, and the faint hum of its air shoes...

* * *

Again we switch settings, returning to the cave Mario, Sonic, Ryu and Jenso, the only one of the group who's world of origin was unknown, yet was dressed similarly to Mario, had taken shelter from a raging thunderstorm.

* * *

Mario, Jenso and Ryu were all asleep around the warmth of the small fire, while Sonic stood watch at the cave entrance. It was just as well, since the fast-footed hedgehog couldn't sleep anyway. He was too preoccupied wondering whether his friends were doing all right, and how everything that had brought him to this point had happened. From a small pouch that he always carried with him, he withdrew a colorless gem, gazing into it, thinking to himself.

_'Why have the emeralds lost their glow? With all that I've lost, I'm closer to Tails and Knuckles than ever. Yet it hasn't given me any warmth, or surplus of strength. I can't even use chaos control with it anymore, even though it worked when I used it to escape to the Gateway with Tails and Knuckles. It's not like they run out of power, right?'_

It was then that a sudden realization struck Sonic.

_'Actually, now that I think about, the emerald was glowing perfectly as usual until the Gateway was destroyed and all of us were separated. Could whatever destroyed the Gateway, or even the Gateway itself have a connection to the emeralds losing their colors?'_

Turning these thoughts over in his head, the hedgehog reached into his pouch to take out the other emeralds he had collected before being forced to leave Mobius, in the mindset as he had collected them that if had all seven, he could stop the destruction that had forced him to flee with Tails and Knuckles to escape death. Remembering this, Sonic felt sorrow well up from inside him, and he choked back tears.

_'A fat lot of good that did Shadow and everyone else...'_

The speedy hero was so immersed in his thoughts it wasn't until a minute later that he noticed that he had only three emeralds, whereas he had thought there'd been six. Tired from all the dangers of days past and from all the questions that he couldn't answer, Sonic fell back against the stone wall near the cave entrance.

_'They must have gotten blown back to Mobius in the explosion.'_

The hedgehog's thoughts were interrupted by a startlingly loud thunderclap, and the blue hero's mind wandered briefly before the sounds of the steady rainfall lulled him into sleep, the colorless chaos emeralds still lying at his side.

Meanwhile, within the cave, Mario was twisting and turning in his sleep, mumbling inaudibly to himself, having a nightmare of the events that had occurred that had separated him from his brother.

* * *

Mario is in a black, open area, calling out, desperately trying to find Luigi

* * *

'_LUIGI! WHERE ARE YOU, LITTLE BRO?'_

_'MARIOOOOOO!'_

_The red clad Italian whipped around, grinning as he saw a figure dressed in green waving in the distance. Mario sprinted for all he was worth, and Luigi ran to meet him._

_'WEEGEE!'_

_But when there was only a few yards left before they were reunited, the ground that still separated them split in half, the crack quickly growing wider and wider. Mario was still determined to stay with his brother, and keep him safe, and the pudgy plumber raced towards the edge, ready to jump across the gap. Just as his feet were about to leave the ground, a giant explosion that came up from the crack in the earth blew the red hero back to the ground._

_'NO!'_

_Scrambling to the edge again, the red plumber looked down into the darkness, hearing his brother's cry echo, fading as he fell._

_'MAAARIOOO!'_

* * *

End of the dream

* * *

"LUIGI!"

Mario woke up, sitting bolt upright in the cave near the ashes of the fire. He looked around, trying to remember where he was. Then he recalled the night before, and wiped the beads of sweat covering his face. It was morning, and, fearing that he had overslept, the portly plumber quickly got dressed and ran out of the cave, shielding his eyes from the sunlight.

"Took you long enough. Ryu and you're copycat already went on ahead to find somebody who'd give us some news and let us know what's been going on the last few days."

Mario's eyes adjusted to the light, looking down the slope to the cave at the blue hedgehog grinning up at him from the ground below. Trying and failing to contain his grin under his mustache, the hero of the kingdom jumped down to the ground in his own unique fashion.

"Good morning to you too, hedgehog. Now what say you and I go off to get some supplies and some breakfast?"

Before the hungry Italian could rush off, however, Sonic caught him by the back straps of his overalls.

"No can do, pal. Jenso or whoever wanted the two of us to lay low for a while. If word got around that the Mushroom Kingdom's hero was running around, our enemies would actually start searching for us."

"And why do YOU have to stay hidden?"

"Because I, despite the conflict ending long ago, am still notorious around here."

Sighing, Mario sat on flat on the ground, holding his grumbling stomach. Eagerly, Sonic made a suggestion of what to do to pass the time.

"Let's race."

The hungry Italian looked at the blue hedgehog like he had gone crazy. As if reading his mind, the blue speedster grinned.

"I'm just as hungry as you are. Besides, a little jog before breakfast never hurts, right?"

Though his stomach was still growling, the red hero couldn't help but smirk as he stood up.

"A race with you is hardly a jog, my friend. But alright. Since we have nothing better to do, I'll take you on."

Slapping Mario's back, the blue blur laughed.

"That's more like it. Now, what about the finish line?"

The portly plumber looked around, taking his first good look at the landscape surrounding their base. It was almost completely forest, with a huge tree looming above all the others that looked to be the very center of the forest. Mario immediately pointed it out as the finish line. The two rivals then took their positions at the cave entrance up on the slopes, which had been chosen as the starting line to give the jumper some starting height.

"Try to keep up with me, hedgehog."

"That's MY line, plumber."

* * *

One last time, the setting changes, returning to the tree Luigi and co. have taken refuge in on Mobius, the morning after Luigi found the strange stone.

* * *

Knuckles awoke to find Luigi already awake and alert, drinking another cup of tea. The green plumber smiled at the red echidna politely.

"Good morning, Knuckles."

The guardian grunted awkwardly in response, not used to waking up to a friendly greeting, or even any greeting at all. Ignoring that, he stood up, and started stretching before he went out to hone his gliding and climbing techniques.

"Knuckles, I was wondering. Do you have any idea as to what this stone is, or whether or not it's worth anything?"

Knuckles was almost out the entrance when he turned to see what Luigi was asking about, and when he saw what the green clad Italian produced from his pocket, he nearly walked into the wall. The echidna gem protector ran over and swiped the colorless jewel out of Luigi's hand.

"Where did you find this chaos emerald?"


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Old Rivals, New Battles

The next chapter begins as we return to where we left the two rivals and old friends, Sonic and Mario.

* * *

"3, 2, 1... GO!"

The instant the countdown finished, Sonic was already down the slopes and starting to speed off into the forest, Mario jumping from the cave entrance up to one of the tree tops, leaping quickly from one to another. Despite his initial loss on his speedy adversary, the plump plumber was able to make up for it with his knowledge and experience in getting through the forests a fast as possible. While Sonic, down below on the ground, while still moving at an amazing pace, was unfamiliar with the layout of the forest, and at such a speed, he had to constantly duck, roll and weave over, under and through dozens of obstacles. Meanwhile, Mario had practically no obstacles to deter him, simply leaping from one tree top to the next. Occasionally, the portly Italian looked down to view his rival's progress, grinning under his mustache, seeing that he was keeping up every second. But then when he looked down next, the blue blur wasn't there. Figuring the hedgehog must have come across a clear trail, the red hero increased his pace, unaware that the hedgehog was actually swinging on a tree branch behind him to launch himself into the air. Crouching in midair the way only he could, Sonic lunged forward, spinning through sky, speeding toward the huge tree with his signature homing attack.

"See you at the finish line, plumber!"

Hearing the hedgehog's talk of triumph behind him, Mario leapt high into the air, turned himself around so his back was to the tree, and reared back his fist, setting it aflame with his firehand.

"Don't declare victory before you've won, hedgehog! FLAME DRAGON!"

At the same instant the red Italian had launched his dragon shaped wave of flame from his fist and was sent flying toward the finish line, the blue hedgehog had made up his lost distance. Rocketing through the sky, the two racers reached their hands out to tag the tree and claim victory. Then, in a split second, it was done, and they swung down to the ground, both of them panting. As he wiped his sweat from his brow with his hat, the portly plumber raised his hand.

"A draw?"

The speedy hedgehog smacked hands with his opponent.

"A draw."

Leaning against the tree, the two heroes rested and relaxed, before Sonic sat up and spoke, opening his pouch as he did.

"Have I ever told you anything about these?"

The hedgehog held up one of the colorless gemstones, handing it to Mario to examine. After a few seconds, the plumber shook his head.

"Not that I can recall. What are they?"

Taking a deep breath and resting his head against the tree trunk, the blue hero started the story that he had heard from his friend Knuckles a dozen times before.

* * *

We shift the scene back to Mobius, where Knuckles still waited for Luigi's answer as to where he had found the chaos emerald.

* * *

Surprised by the alarm in the echidna's voice, Luigi shrugged and sipped his tea again.

"I found it on the ground when I went out last night. Why do you ask? What's so important about this 'chaos emerald'?"

Collecting himself and placing the precious gem carefully between them, Knuckles sat near the curious plumber.

"If you don't know about it, then I might as well tell you. There are seven of these gems, called chaos emeralds, each containing immeasurable power. Certain individuals, like Sonic, for example, are able to use this great energy to manipulate time and space. This manipulation of chaos energy can be used to attack enemies, create defenses and even allow the user to teleport themselves, or nearly any number of other individuals, across great distances."

Luigi stared at the gem with a look of mystification and slight disbelief that he had found such a powerful jewel on the ground in the middle of the night. Noticing this, Knuckles grinned subtly.

"Normally, I'd show you what kind of power the chaos emeralds possess myself, but for some reason they've lost their glow. Usually each chaos emerald shines with a brilliant and distinct color, yet this one, for some reason, doesn't have any color within it at all. Therefore, it's powerless, sadly."

Disappointed, the green plumber finished his tea and set the cup aside, sinking into a chair. He had hoped that the emerald's power would be able to stop the evils he felt responsible for. Picking up the gemstone and staring at it's colorless form, he knew that for now he would have to rely upon himself to rid the Mushroom Kingdom of Mr. L.

* * *

Changing back to the forest in which Mario and Sonic have settled for a rest, the blue hedgehog has just finished telling the red Italian about the chaos emeralds.

* * *

"Unbelievable. But why would they lose their glow?"

The speedy hedgehog stood up and stretched, trying to gauge how much time was left before the rest of their group returned.

"I have a hunch, but it could just be a coincidence. I think it has something to do with the Gateway being destroyed, because until around that time, they were shining as bright as ever."

Contemplating this, the red plumber scratched his head. Suddenly, he froze in the middle of his thoughts. Not noticing the Italians reaction, the blue blur turned towards his old rival.

"You wanna race back to the base?"

"Sh. Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Both the heroes stood still, listening intently for any movement. Mario snapped his head towards the sound of something moving in the underbrush. Sonic looked up towards the treetops, hearing something leaping from the branches.

"Yeah. I hear it now."

"What is it?"

"How should I know? You're the one who's supposed to know this world."

Suddenly, a gigantic stone block surrounded on all sides with spikes smashed into the ground between the hedgehog and the plumber, it's face angry.

"THWOMPS? But how...?"

Mario looked up. It didn't make sense. This was NOT a Thwomps natural habitat. It was then that the portly plumber noticed a striped brown and black striped tail poking out of the back of the Thwomp.

"TANOOMBAS!"

"Ta-whats?"

Unfamiliar with the enemies his former adversary was used to fighting, the blue hedgehog simply stood there, perplexed as to why the giant spikes block before him seemed so angry. Knowing how to force the tricky creature to revert to it's original form, the red clad Italian nonchalantly walked up into the face of the Thwomp, and gave it a gentle whack with his hammer. Suddenly, the giant stone monster vanished, replaced by a Goomba-like creature with the same striped tail.

"Oh. Those things."

Angry that it had been attacked and mocked, the small mushroom-esque creature cried out to it's tribe, and within seconds, the duo was surrounded by hundreds of the monstrosities.

"Well. Guess they live her-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, the red plumber was stabbed in the stomach with by one of the Tanoomba's tails, sending him flying into the tree.

"MARIO! WHY YOU ROTTEN LITTLE BASTARDS!"

The angry hedgehog leapt into the air, spinning rapidly and ramming into his foes one after another, executing a long chain of homing attacks. Meanwhile, the hungry Italian got to his feet, holding his growling stomach with one hand, and holding his hammer over his shoulder with the other.

"Attacking a hungry man in the stomach? That's just low."

Lifting his hammer, Mario leapt into the air, taking down enemies as he jumped on their heads one after the other, then, landing in the middle of a large group that started rushing him, he spun in a circle, swinging his hammer around to blow back the horde. Sonic, meanwhile, was on the ground, spinning incredibly fast around another large group, blasting them into the air with his sonic wind attack.

"SONIC! Look out behind you!"

Whipping his head around, the blue hedgehog saw that a number of the Tanoombas had transformed into spiked Koopa shells and were heading straight for him. Quickly, the red clad plumber threw his hammer, sending it sailing straight into the shape-shifting creatures, knocking them right into the base of the huge tree's trunk. Before he could retrieve his hammer, the red plumber was jumped by dozens of Tanoombas, too weakened from hunger to shake them all off. Grabbing the plumber's hammer, Sonic rushed to free Mario. Just as he was about to strike, however, a voice pierced the air.

"RELEASE HIM, TANOOMBAS! NOW!"

Instantly, the tailed Goomba's did as they were instructed. Pulling Mario to his feet, Sonic looked around for their savior. The blue hedgehog saw two figures, one that looked like a tall Koopa, the other, another that looked like a Goomba, but with blond hair and a war helmet on it's head. Pointing them out to the hungry Italian, Mario stared, stunned at who he saw coming towards him.

"Goombella? Koops?"

The tall Koopa smiled.

"Long time no see, Mario."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Omens of the past, Revelations of the future

The scene returns to Mario and Sonic, who, after being reunited with Mario's old friends, Goombella and Koops, were walking with them to their base deeper in the forest. Sonic, feeling unusually awkward around his old rival's companions, was uncharacteristically silent. Meanwhile, the red plumber laughed as he talked with his old friends. As the blue hedgehog gazed up at the setting sun, he wondered what his friends were doing on Mobius.

Back on Mobius, within the safety of the tree, Tails and Knuckles were debating where they should head towards next, while Luigi quietly sat, wondering about the state the Mushroom Kingdom was in. Knuckles wanted to return to Angel Island, making the point that the Master Emerald could tell them what had transpired during their absence. Tails argued that their enemies would be expecting that, and that a much wiser move would be to search for other surviving Mobians. Luigi occasionally listened in on the conversation, though he didn't feel his input would change anything. He didn't mind what the plan was anyway, as long as it involved him returning to the MK somewhere along the way.

* * *

Again, our scene returns to the ship which looms over Mobius, to the control room.

* * *

The shadowed figure was intently watching his monitors. All of them were changing between views of Tails and Knuckles in their current base. Enraged by the sight of the two heroes, the cold and smooth voice pierced the air.

"Android 205!"

Immediately, the same android that had reported sightings in sector 7 appeared, kneeling before it's master.

"You called for me, sir?"

Without turning to make eye contact with the robot, 205's master simply continued watching the monitors as he spoke.

"Two of our old friends has returned. Knowing the echidna, I can easily deduce where they are sure to go."

"Would you have me track them, my Liege?"

"No. You are needed here. Instead, send out our little pets. But don't release the savage weapon just yet. That is all. Dismissed."

"Sir."

With a salute to it's master and new orders to carry out, android 205 left as quietly as it had entered.

* * *

Back to the group on Mobius.

* * *

After Tails had given in to Knuckles' stubbornness, the group waited for nightfall. Knuckles was gazing into the colorless emerald near the entrance, keeping watch as he pondered why the gem's color had been drained. Inside, Tails was drawing out blueprints for new weapons he planned to make once the opportunity to acquire the proper components presented itself. Luigi, who had only seen such complex designs drawn by his friend Elvin Gadd, watched in awe at the young fox's work. Thinking out load more than anything else, the young prodigy muttered to himself.

"Would the weapons uses make up for it's extra weight? Or would it just be unnecessary cargo?"

Thinking he was being asked a question, Luigi replied.

"That'd depend on what materials were used to make the weapon."

Mistaking Luigi's comment for another of his own thoughts, Tails went back to drawing in silence. The green plumber smiled, looked over to Knuckles and noticed that he seemed to have dozed off while on watch duty. Joining the sleeping guardian outside, Luigi took out his hammer and stood watch, unaware that the red echidna wasn't sleeping as soundly as he seemed to be.

* * *

The setting changes to within Knuckles' dream.

* * *

_'Where am I?'_

_Knuckles wondered to himself, surrounded on all sides by ruins. It felt like a graveyard somehow, yet the red guardian felt some kind of connection to the desolate place. Suddenly, he was surrounded by flames. He heard screams of terror and cries of agony. Falling to his knees, Knuckles gripped his head. Looking up, he saw what looked like a small army of warriors running towards some kind of altar._

_'Power... Emeralds... OURS!'_

_Realizing the danger that would follow if they reached the Master Emerald, the red echidna rushed to overtake the spear wielding mob, struggling to get between them and the altar. But when he looked ahead, he saw that someone else had tried the same thing, and had been shoved aside for their efforts. Kneeling down to help the fallen stranger, he was surprised when she shouted out in desperation._

_'STOP! YOU'LL ONLY ANGER THE GUARDIAN!'_

_'The guardian? There's another?'_

_The confused echidna looked toward the center of the altar, and the answer to his question suddenly struck him as an enraged being revealed itself from within the Master Emerald._

_'CHAOS!'_

* * *

End of dream...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Foreshadowed Surprises

The scene returns to the waking world, where Knuckles has just awakened from what may have been a nightmare... or an omen.

* * *

Snapping his eyes open, Knuckles looked around for a minute before realizing that he had been asleep. Looking up, he noticed that night had fallen, and that Tails had perched himself with Luigi on a sturdy branch high up on the tree. After checking to make sure he still had the chaos emerald, the red echidna scaled up the tree to join his companions. Feeling a vibe of tension from the guardian, Tails decided against talking to him.

"Let's get moving."

Knuckles leapt from the tree, gliding towards where he knew Angel Island lay. Clasping arms with Luigi, Tails began propelling his two tails over his head and flew after Knuckles.

Returning to Mario & Sonic, we see that their new companions, Goombella & Koops, have lead them down a tunnel within the forest, leading to a pipe.

"Sure is a lot of walking just to find the entrance."

Mario remarked, Goombella turning to answer, smiling.

"True, but it's necessary as security. If the entrance to the base of the Resistance was easy to find, we'd be attacked daily."

Smiling back at the female Goomba, the portly plumber looked to Koops.

"Your base does have a cook, right?"

The tall Koopa laughed.

"Of course. You can eat while you meet with the commander."

Before Mario could ask about the commander's identity, his two old friends had leapt down the pipe. Running ahead of the red clad hero, Sonic eagerly hopped onto the pipe.

"About time we got something to eat."

Grinning, the blue hedgehog ventured downward, followed by Mario, who was solemnly wondering what had become of the Kingdom in his absence.

* * *

Back on Mobius, Knuckles and his group have encountered a disturbing sight on their way to Angel Island. Having exhausted lost the strength to continue flight, the group was now traveling on foot, still under the cover of the night.

* * *

"Damn Robotnik."

Tails growled to himself, looking out of a huge city that supported no life aside from posted androids. There were sources of constant pollution all over the dark, disgusting city, make visible only by the glow of searchlights mounted on top of multiple buildings.

"We have to get through this stink hole to reach Angel Island."

"Knuckles, have you lost it?! We'll be spotted and captured like the rest of our friends!"

The red echidna looked to the young fox, replying as calmly as he could.

"That risk will be present no matter what route we take, and we can't waste time."

This sparked another argument between Tails and Knuckles. Luigi rolled his eyes in response to this and roamed back to the edge of the forest that marked the beginning of Mushroom Hill Zone. Trying to find something to do while he waited, the green plumber took in his surroundings, still amazed by the size of the mushrooms on Mobius. Suddenly, he snapped his head around, certain that he had heard something. But after a second had passed, he couldn't think of what could have made the sound. It hadn't been a rustle of leaves or underbrush, nor was it the groan of the trees as they swayed in the wind. It had been a sort of sloshing sound, but there was no mud or water that he could see. Looking down, the green clad Italian noticed something that looked like a small puddle, and, thinking that the water had dripped from a tree, looked overhead. Seeing nothing to confirm his theory, Luigi looked back down at the puddle and froze. In the puddle, two bright green eyes were staring back at him, and the puddle was slowly forming into a head. Smashing the creature underfoot and leaping out of the forest, the terrified plumber ran past his companions, rushing straight toward the polluted city. Smirking, Knuckles turned to Tails.

"I guess we should go through the city, then, if only to make sure he doesn't get himself killed."

Sighing, Tails nodded and began chasing after Luigi, followed closely by Knuckles.

* * *

Back in the Mushroom Kingdom, in an underground base, we see Mario and Sonic, sitting at one end of a table, the two seats across from them empty.

* * *

Facing the two hungry travelers, Goombella stood guard before a huge door, one that Koops had moments before entered, claiming to return with food and the commander of the Resistance. Mario eagerly awaited a meal, while Sonic, though still hungry, looked nervously around him, uneasy that someone would attack him because of his status as one of the Kingdom's enemies. Noticing the blue hedgehog's uneasiness, the red plumber whispered.

"Go back to the room they assigned us. I'll bring you back something to eat."

"Thanks, Mario."

Taking his leave, the speedy hero left the room. Almost immediately after he had left, the door Goombella was guarding opened, and out came a modest dish of hot pasta. Thanking the cook, Mario began to chow down, eating as eagerly as he always had. As a consequence, when he looked up and saw the two figures who had entered with Koops, the red clad plumber almost spit out his drink.

"Toadsworth! Wario?!"

The elderly toad smiled at his old friend, and the chubby treasure hunter laughed a jolly laugh.

"Surprise, cousin!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Familiar Faces, Frustrating Situations

We return to Mario, who has just been reunited with two MORE old friends.

* * *

"Wario is the commander of the Resistance?"

"Indeed he is, Master Mario. I am his second in command."

Mario grinned, turning to his chubby cousin, who grinned back with his signature smile. Toadsworth clasped his hands on the red clad plumber's arms, a gleam of determination in his, shaking Mario for emphasis as he spoke.

"We've been struggling against Bowsers forces, we've lost many men. The only soldiers we have are the Tanoomba tribes and the Toads. We were lucky to find the few strong survivors from Rogueport that we could."

"Few...?"

Mario looked toward Koops and Goombella, who gave nothing away in their expressions. Toadsworth continued, taking a seat at the table, joined by Wario.

"There are only two others besides these two that survived Bowser's attack on Rougeport. I'm sorry to be the bearer of such terrible news, Master Mario."

Taken aback by this, the red clad Italian fell to his seat.

"We've suffered much in so little time. But now with you here, we have a fighting chance."

"What about the princess? Is she safe?"

At this, the elderly Toad lost the gleam momentarily, shaking his head.

"The princess is not with us. I presume that rapscallion Bowser currently possesses her."

Looking at his plate of pasta in front of him, Mario shook his head.

"I don't know..."

Slamming his fist on the table, Wario stood up.

"Of COURSE it's Bowser! Who else could it possibly be?! He only PRETENDED to be content to be at peace to get closer to us, so he could kidnap Peach and take over!"

Standing and putting a hand on his cousin's shoulder, the red plumber tried to calm him.

"I know you're still bitter about Waluigi, Wario. I'm sorry that he didn't survive, but you can't blame Bowser for everything that's wrong with the Kingdom."

Angrily, the chubby treasure hunter smacked his cousins hand away.

"WHY ARE YOU DEFENDING THAT DAMN TURTLE?!"

After calming for a minute, Wario took his seat again, as Toadsworth spoke again.

"Everyone's assumed you've been training somewhere to defeat Bowser, Master Mario. Why do you think that he isn't to blame? What have you been doing for the past week if not training in secret?"

Staring blankly at the old Toad, Mario cringed, thinking back to the events that had led up to his absence from the Mushroom Kingdom. Hanging his head, and taking his dish of food, the tired plumber answered quietly.

"It's a long story, and I'm too tired to tell it right now. If there's anything I can do to help tomorrow, let me know."

With that, the red clad hero left the room, leaving a confused and dissatisfied audience in his wake.

* * *

Meanwhile, back on Mobius, we see that Tails, Knuckles and Luigi have all been separated, each trying to find each other and get out of the polluted city.

* * *

Stealth, as he was quickly discovering, was not one of Knuckles' strong points. If there were enemies to deal with, he preferred the straightforward approach of knocking them out with his fists. As a consequence, he wasn't experienced in the practice of silent movement. Three times now he had nearly been caught by a searchlight, and there were robotic guards posted and walking around everywhere. But right now, he had Tails' safety to think about, as well as Luigi's. If he set off the alarm, they'd probably find THEM too. Trying to control his breathing, he waited in a dark corner of an alleyway, watching as two sentries walked past him on the road that the alley intersected.

_'Alright. Let's try the overhead route.'_

The red guardian thought to himself, digging his claws into the walling, climbing as quietly as he could manage. Meanwhile, hiding up on the rooftops, Tails was crouching behind a chimney, waiting for a sentry to make his pass by him. The young fox tried to slow down his fast heartbeat, the tension making it seem louder than it actually was. Certain that he would be caught, he desperately inhaled as much air as he could, then leapt down the smoke spewing chimney, stopping himself with his arms and legs. Counting the seconds until the sentry's footsteps died away, Tails crawled back up and gasped for air.

_'I need to find Knuckles and Luigi. Knuckles first, because he doesn't have the patience to navigate quietly through a place like this.'_

Running to the edge of the rooftop, the determined youth flew to the one adjacent to it, intent on finding the stubborn echidna. Down beneath the gloomy city, in the sewers, Luigi was mapping out the filthy sewage system. Being a plumber, and having found a manhole just before he had very nearly been caught, he knew that a safe way to navigate this city may be useful later. Cautiously, he dared to peek out of another manhole, only to duck back down to avoid being spotted. Sighing with relief, the green clad plumber took a second look, trying to find any sign of his two companions. Just before he was about to give up, he saw a flash of what looked like a flying fox overhead. Grinning, the nimble mustached Italian slipped from under the manhole, and began wall kicking his way up to the roof he had seen Tails heading towards. He was rewarded for his courage with the reunion of one of his companions, and, after ducking into the shadows again, Luigi explained to Tails how he knew the city's sewer system, which would make it that much easier to find Knuckles. Daring only to whisper, Tails thought up a plan with Luigi.

"Alright, let's use that. Once we find that knucklehead, we can keep going toward Angel Island."

Nodding to one another, they leapt off the building, Tails hovering down with Luigi holding tightly. Soon after landing, the green plumber pulled the reluctant young fox down into the sewers. Meanwhile, Knuckles, who had little luck making any progress, gazed into the colorless chaos emerald he still held, wishing he could just forget the stealth and destroy every robot that got in his way. But, sighing, he again reminded himself of what would happen to Tails and Luigi if he did. Nearing his limit, the frustrated guardian tried to calm himself, still gazing into the emerald.

* * *

Returning to the control room of the airship, we see that the dozen monitors are now showing Knuckles, crouching in wait, trying to think up a plan.

* * *

The unknown evil figure grinned at the sight of the red echidna looking so helpless.

"Well, well, well. It seems that the stubborn echidna and his little fox are going to make things easy for me. I may not have to order an attack on the part of my pets after all."

Suddenly, the chambers' door opened, and entered android 205, kneeling before it's master.

"Sir. A report from your city near Mushroom Hill Zone. Multiple scrapped Mechs have been reported, sir."

Turning in his seat to face his servant, the cold, even voice calmly replied.

"Ah. So, it would appear that there is another intruder within my fair city. This makes things all the more interesting."

Dismissing the android, and returning to his dozen monitors, the shadowed figures face was partially illuminated in the light from the screens. Watching intently, the eerie grin returned to his face, as he clenched the fist of his metallic arm...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Sirens, Explosions and Emeralds

As Knuckles struggles to maintain control of himself, the scene returns to Sonic & Mario.

* * *

While Sonic ate the leftovers of the meal Mario had brought him, the red clad plumber filled the blue hedgehog in on what he had currently gathered the situation was.

"I'm going to have to tell them where we were while all this was happening eventually. But how can I explain it without making it sound like I abandoned everybody?"

Finishing up the plate of pasta, the speedy hero tried to counsel his old friend.

"Mario, you didn't abandon your world anymore than I did mine. Even if any of us had had the strength left to go back to try to stop this from happening, we'd likely just end up killed. We were all so battered and beaten, we were lucky to be alive at all."

"I know that, and you know that. But they don't. They've been fighting the evils we should have been dealing with this whole time. They'll all shun us and refuse our help if I tell them."

"You'll never know that until you actually tell them, Mario."

Sighing, the mustached Italian turned on his side, pulled his hat down over his eyes, and tried to sleep. Resting his head on his arms, Sonic couldn't help but wonder if his friends were in danger.

* * *

Now, we return to Luigi and Tails, in their search to find Knuckles.

* * *

Luigi looked out of another manhole, looking around for his missing companion, at the same time waiting for the hesitant Tails to catch up with him.

"Luigi, how can you STAND walking in this muck?!"

"I told you, it's my job."

"They must pay a lot for a job like this."

The green clad plumber couldn't help but grin.

"I wish."

Then, almost as soon as the young fox had reached the manhole he was under, Luigi signaled for silence, listening intently. He looked back at Tails with a pale face.

"I think our old pal Knuckles set off the alarms."

Slapping his face in exasperation, Tails leapt out of the manhole, running down the roads towards where the sound was coming from, closely followed by Luigi.

"That damn knucklehead is going to get us killed."

We see Knuckles up on the rooftops, quickly being surrounded by Mechs.

"Crap..."

The frustrated echidna glared at the mechanical guards that were quickly encircling him. Out of anger at his own helplessness, he had smashed through a sentry. He was now paying the consequences. Taking in the scene around him, he took note of the searchlights. Quickly, he rammed through the Mechs to destroy the searchlights.

"This way, they won't find Tails or Luigi."

Once he was finished, Knuckles turned back to his enemies, ready to fight. But, just when he was about to strike, he saw one of the sentries short-circuit, quickly followed by those near it, setting off a chain reaction that disabled the surround horde. Confused, the red guardian scratched his head, then turned to see a familiar figure in green appear from a hole in the floor of the roof.

"Luigi?"

"Hey Knuckles. Looks like we arrived just in time, huh?"

The red echidna followed the green clad plumber down to ground level, meeting back up with Tails.

"It's a miracle you're not dead, knucklehead."

"Nice to see you too, Tails. How did you do that, Luigi?"

Smiling, the mustached plumber summoned a spark of blue lighting from his finger.

"Thunderhand. Long story short, let's me attack enemies with lightning. But that's history, let's get out of this dump. I can navigate a way through the sewers."

Impressed, Knuckles smirk of respect turned to one of distaste when he looked down the manhole. Before he could leap down, he felt a small projectile hit him in the chest, knocking him back against a wall. Whipping around, Tails caught only a glimpse of a flying Mech before it shot him as well, hitting the wall near the downed echidna guardian. Rushing to their aid, Luigi tried to help them up.

"Can't... move..."

The projectile had somehow sapped the two heroes' strength, leaving them paralyzed. Taking out his hammer, the green clad Italian looked up in defiance at the flying Mechs that were quickly surrounding him. All of them fired their paralyzing projectiles at him, but the determined hero stood his ground, and was still moving.

"Looks like you're paralysis crap doesn't work on humans. Too bad for you."

Rearing back his hammer, Luigi launched it with all his might into the Mechs directly in front of him, then leapt into the air, leaping from the head of one Mech to the next to retrieve his weapon. As he yanked his hammer from the smashed remnants of his foes, the green clad plumber summoned a crackling bolt of electricity from his hand, infusing it with his hammer, running toward the mass that was closing in on him. With each Mech he smashed with his hammer, two more near it were short-circuited by the electricity surrounding the hammerhead. Suddenly, the Italian hero was grabbed by the neck, and slammed against a wall, as the Mech that held him aimed it's gun. A split second before it fired, another android, designed like the Mechs, but painted red, smashed through the Mech before it could kill Luigi. Falling to the ground, gasping for air, the green clad plumber looked up to thank his savior. But before he could, the android placed something in his hand.

"Take this and guard it well. Take your companions and leave this city immediately. I've planted a bomb that's set to blow in 90 seconds."

With this, the mysterious android rushed off, leaving Luigi confused for a second before grabbing his hammer and scrambling to Tails and Knuckles. After smashing hurriedly through a few Mechs that blocked his path, the young green plumber reached his friends, hauling Tails onto his back, dragging Knuckles with his other hand as he leapt into the sewers.

"Quit dragging me! I can walk on my own!"

The stubborn echidna broke free of Luigi's grip, and began running to keep pace with the plumber.

"Whatever! Just move quickly! We have less than a minute before a bomb blows this place up!"

Before the confused echidna could ask about what the green Italian was talking about, he was grabbed up out of a manhole near the edge of the city. Ignoring his curiosity, the red guardian grabbed Tails, and ran alongside Luigi.

"Crap! 10 seconds!"

"Quickly! Grab hold!"

Clasping arms with Knuckles, Luigi was spun around and launched to safety, while the echidna shot forward with a burst of speed, barely making it out of the danger zone before the whole city behind him erupted in flames. Dropping Tails on the ground, the exhausted warrior collapsed, falling asleep almost instantly. Grinning, the tired green clad hero looked in his hand to see what his savior had given him.

"A chaos emerald. Well, it'll be safer with one of them than with me."

Watching the sun rise, Luigi placed the colorless jewel into Tails' hand, drifting off to sleep soon after...

* * *

Once more, the story's setting changes, showing us Ryu and Jenso.

* * *

"I'm returning to my home. I'm going to make sure my people are safe and that's final."

Jenso sighed, gazing up at the rising sun.

"You'll just get yourself captured. Your people have been enslaved. If you go storming in, it won't solve anything."

"I don't care what I have to do to set my fellow Yoshi's free. I will not abandon them in their time of need, and I won't hesitate to trade my life for theirs."

At this, the mysterious orange clad hero fell silent, the black Yoshi's comment seeming to have struck a nerve.

"I'm going with or without you. You can help me, or you can go do whatever you do."

Ryu turned, unfolding his wings, and was about to take off when he was stopped by Jensos utterance of three words.

"Alright. I'll help."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Value of Pride

The next installment of our tale begins, as the setting shows us Jenso and Ryu, as they make their way to Yoshi's Island.

* * *

Ryu looked down, checking to see if his orange clad companion was still keeping pace running beneath him. Seeing that Jenso was, in fact, still keeping up with the flying Yoshi on the ground, Ryu returned to his course and his thoughts.

_'I was a fool to leave my people the way I did. I only hope that they have managed to remain strong and survive during my absence.'_

* * *

We are shown a flashback of the day Ryu left Yoshi's Island, one week ago.

* * *

_Ryu sat beside his tribe leader, silently listening to the discussion he was having with the other three elders. Having heard that dark times were descending upon the Mushroom Kingdom in the days prior, and fearing Yoshi's Island to soon follow, the tribe leaders had called for a Council meeting, consisting of only themselves and the single strongest fighter of their tribe. Ryu was honored to be held in such high regard, having been judged the strongest in the Dragon tribe. To his right sat the elder of the Fire tribe, their warriors known for their ability to breath scorching flames, with average all around physical strength. To his left sat the elder of the Earth tribe, who's fighters possessed the ability to cause minor tremors by stomping their feet, but were below average in upper body strength. Finally, sitting directly across from him, was the elder of the Sky tribe, who's fighters unique gift was that of flight, but were blighted by their slow movement speed on foot. The Dragon tribe, while being the smallest of the four, was the only tribe who's warriors could attain all the abilities of the other three. This being so, the Dragon tribe elder was held with the highest regard. Suddenly, the meeting was interrupted by a young green Yoshi bursting in, panting and struggling to catch his breath._

_"Elders! Terrible news! The heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom, the Mario brothers, have fallen!"_

_This caused a commotion among the members of the meeting. Ryu immediately leapt from where he sat and bolted out the door into the dark night. The Dragon elder rushed after him._

_"RYU! STOP!"_

* * *

The flashback ends, returning us to the present.

* * *

Ryus thoughts were interrupted by a call from Jenso below.

"OY! GET DOWN HERE BEFORE YOU'RE SPOTTED!"

Looking ahead, the black Yoshi saw that he was nearing the warp pipe that connected Yoshi's Island to the mainland. But now, it was surrounded by searchlights and armed Koopatrols. Descending to the ground as quickly as he could, Ryu landed a safe distance away, managing to avoid detection. Watching with Jenso from the underbrush, Ryu watched in horror and rage as Yoshi's were marched, chained, into the warp pipe, escorted by Koopatrols on all sides.

"Bastards..."

"Don't go rushing in. You'll just end up getting caught. They'll get their just desserts, but just try to control yourself a bit longer. I think I know a way in."

Jenso whispered his plan into Ryu's ear. The black Yoshi glared at the orange clad hero.

"I REFUSE to be bound in chains! I am no one's slave!"

"Do you want to free your people or not?"

Ryu angrily averted his gaze back to the marching Yoshi's, trying to think up another way in his head. Finally, he swallowed his pride and turned back to Jenso.

"Fine. I'll do it."

Ten minutes later, chained around his neck, arms and legs, Ryu marched behind a disguised Jenso, having taken the armor from one of the Koopatrols. As they neared the pipe, two of the guards halted them, looking at Jenso suspiciously.

"Why are you alone with this beast, soldier? Passage can only be safely made with a minimum of four escorts."

Shrugging as casually as he could, Jenso pointed back towards Ryu.

"No one else would take the job of escorting him, sir. I was the only one who volunteered."

"Doesn't look like anything special to me."

One of the guards provoked Ryu with his spear. The black Yoshi responded by nearly biting his hand off.

"Careful. He's one of them dragons. Breathes fire and all that other stuff."

Shivering, the two guards stepped aside, allowing the two companions to pass. Grinning, Jenso leapt down the warp pipe, followed by Ryu as he shuddered, wondering what else about his home had changed.

* * *

Returning to Mobius, we see our trio still resting through the monitors of the unknown villain in his airship.

* * *

Watching the three heroes through the eyes of his 'pets', the shadowed villain cackled.

"Well, well, well. It seems that my prey has chosen to make things easy for me! 205!"

Once again, the android entered, kneeling before its master as he spoke.

"Give out new orders for our pets. They are now to capture the red rodent. The fox and green man are to be disposed of, for they are of no use. Dismissed!"

"Sir."

Giving the obligatory salute to its master, android 205 exited once again to carry out its new assignment.

"That gullible echidna will be very useful once manipulated. Pity his companions have to die, but at least they'll provide temporary entertainment while they struggle to fight back!"

Grinning cruelly, the villains eerie cackle echoed throughout the chamber, as he watched his monitors intently, as his 'pets' began to move in.

* * *

The scene changes once again, showing us our three heroes, still sleeping, having exhausted themselves from the adventure of the previous night.

* * *

Tails awoke hours later, looking around him, slightly disoriented, surprised when he turned back to where the city used to be and saw it was gone. The young fox was even more surprised when he saw what he was holding.

"A chaos emerald...?"

Confused, he stood up, trying to remember as much of the events of the previous night as he could. The last thing he remembered was a glimpse of a flying Mech before he got hit by something.

"Must've passed out..."

Suddenly, he whipped his head around, equipping his arm cannon as quickly as he could, hearing something move nearby. It was then he noticed that the direction the sound had come from led to a bunch of ancient ruins. Venturing forward cautiously, Tails searched for signs of life, navigating over broken pillars, around stone walls with carvings and under caved-in ceilings of stone constructions.

"Anybody here?"

Tails' question was met at first with silence, then came the sound of something approaching swiftly from behind. Whipping around, the young prodigy lost precious seconds from surprise at what he saw, allowing the attacker time to deliver a blow to his chest which sent him flying into a stone wall. Falling to the floor, the young fox looked up in disbelief at his assailant before blacking out.

"Chaos?"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Unlucky Discoveries

The setting returns us to the shocking scene on Mobius, where we see a Chaos-like creature looming over an unconscious Tails.

* * *

The water-like creature took hold of Tails by the throat, its other arm taking a form similar to a dagger. The monster was about to impale the helpless fox's skull when it was distracted by a familiar battle cry.

"YAH-HO!"

Turning it's head towards the source of the sound, the creature was struck by a damaging head-butt from Luigi, sending it into a pillar.

"Let's get out of here, kid!"

Luigi grabbed Tails and scrambled away as the creature threw the rubble off of itself and began chasing the green clad plumber. Running out of the ruins as quickly as he could, the mustached Italian looked back to see that the creature was nearly out into the open.

"NOW KNUCKLES!"

Just as the monster leapt for its prey, the echidna guardian dug out from under it, striking from below with his signature spiral uppercut. Defeated, the watery being melted into a puddle, slithering away. Knuckles looked in disbelief as the creature made its getaway.

"Chaos? Why would he attack us?"

"I don't know, but I think its been following us for a while. I saw it last night before I ran into the city."

The red echidna turned to reply to Luigi's comment, but when he saw what was behind the green plumber, he froze.

"What's up?"

Looking over his shoulder, the green clad Italian's eyes widened. The trio was surrounded by dozens of Chaos-like creatures, and all of them had a malicious look in their eyes. Luigi turned his head back to his companion, his face pale.

"Well. Crap."

* * *

A few hours earlier, before Tails had woken up, back underground in the Mushroom Kingdom, we see Goombella outside Mario and Sonics door.

* * *

Goombella cracked the door open just slightly, keeping her voice down to a firm whisper.

"Mario! MARIO!"

"Wha?"

Groggily, the portly plumber sat up, noticing the blonde Goomba beckoning from outside his door. Pulling on his hat, Mario walked out, closing the door quietly so as not to disturb Sonic. The female Goomba lead the red clad plumber to the meeting chamber he had been in the previous night, and there Mario saw two old friends that shook him out of his sleepy daze. In the room with Koops was a dark purple figure with a red and white striped hat, and a mustached brown Bob-omb with a sailors hat and a ships steering wheel instead of a wind-up key on it's back.

"Vivian! Bobbery! Thank god you're alive!"

The old admiral laughed a jolly laugh.

"Alive? Of course! I reckon this old sailor still has a few years left in him, my friend."

"Are any of the others here?"

At this, the room suddenly became silent, a vibe of sorrow and solemnness emanating from the plumber's old friends. Quietly, Vivian disappeared into the shadows, reappearing near Mario.

"To be perfectly honest, none of us know where they are. It was total chaos when Rougeport was attacked, the skies were raining Banzai Bills and Bob-ombs..."

* * *

Flashback to a few days ago, during the attack on Rougeport.

* * *

_Goombella, Flurrie, Vivian, Brawler (A green Yoshi named by Mario) and Mrs. Mowz all ran from building to building, trying to find Koops and Professor Frankly. Bobbery was raising the anchor on the ship, and they needed to set sail quickly. Suddenly, a Bob-omb fell and exploded behind the group, throwing Goombella off of Brawler's back and separating her from the others. She tried to run back to them, but was halted by a wall of flame summoned by a flying Magikoopa, who seemed set on engulfing the entire town in flames. Flurrie tried in vain to blow the flames away, but only managed to tire herself out. Growling at the flying Magikoopa, Brawler turned to Vivian._

_"Vivian! Use your ability to help Goombella!"_

_The shadow siren looked worriedly at the young Yoshi._

_"Don't worry about us! Goombella's on her own right now! Help her!"_

_Vivian reluctantly nodded, and went to Goombella's aid, disappearing into shadows..._

* * *

End of flashback.

* * *

Vivian paused as Toadsworth and Wario entered. Toadsworth opened up a map on the table, showing the Mushroom Kingdom.

"I have called you all here this morning because of an urgent matter that has arisen. 48 hours ago, we sent Elvin Gadd to Yoshi's Island to attempt to assess the situation to help form an attack plan. The Yoshi's would indeed be valuable allies, however we have not recieved contact from E. Gadd for over 20 hours. We must assume the worst and take action. We need a route to Yoshi's Island that our enemies have not yet secured. Do any of you have any suggestions?"

Mario stood immediately. He pointed to Toad Town on the map.

"It's a long shot, but there is a warp pipe beneath Toad Town that leads directly to one of the Yoshi villages."

"Very good Master Mario. As for who goes along on this mission, I have chosen Master Mario, Wario and Vivian."

Just then, Sonic walked into the room, his identity concealed by his cloak.

"I would like to offer my assistance on this mission as well."

Everyone in the room turned to the unknown cloaked volunteer, and all but Mario shared the same look of confusion. Toadsworth broke the silence, clearing his throat.

"Exactly who might you be, sir?"

Mario turned towards the old Toad.

"He's a companion of mine who came here with me."

"What is your name, sir?"

Sonic flinched beneath his cloak. After a minute of pause, the blue hedgehog came up with a response.

"Cinos."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: An Ancient Foe

The story continues, returning us to the scene on Mobius of Luigi, Knuckles and an unconscious Tails surrounded by dozens of Chaos-like creatures.

* * *

Tails lay behind Knuckles and Luigi, who were the only ones standing between him and the horde of Chaos', all with the same malicious gleam in their eyes. Luigi looked towards Knuckles.

"What's the best thing to do here? Run? Fight?"

"Fight."

In a trance, and out of habit more than anything, the red echidna charged forward, ramming into the nearest Chaos creature. Behind him, Luigi gulped as he took out his hammer.

"I was afraid of that."

Running after the guardian, the green clad plumber leapt up above his foes, slamming his hammer down on them as he descended. Knuckles first uppercut one creature, smashed his fist through the head of another, then, with two rushing at him from opposite sides, burrowed underground so they rammed into each other, and attacked both from below with a spiral uppercut. Each attack the two heroes made on their foes caused the bluish ooze that was their bodies to splatter everywhere. Luigi quickly realized, however, that the creatures were able to keep reforming themselves after being hit, making the whole wave endless. Knuckles was too preoccupied by his thoughts and worries about the Master Emerald to notice, and his body seemed to be as tireless as the creatures'. The green clad plumber, on the other hand, was wearing down, and was eventually taken down by a strong kick from behind, followed by a brutal blow to his face, sending him to the ground. This was enough to break Knuckles out of his trance, and the echidna rushed towards the downed plumber.

"LUIGI!"

Knuckles leapt over the plumber, grabbing the straps of his overalls and running back to Tails, ramming through any Chaos creatures that got in his way.

"Q-quit dragging me. I can walk on my own..."

Luigi grinned, struggling to steady himself on his feet.

"Oy, Knuckles. Dig underground with Tails, I'll follow behind you. I have a plan."

The red guardian, knowing that he didn't have time to argue, did as the green clad plumber instructed, burrowing underground and digging a hole parallel to the surface with his right claw, dragging Tails along with the other. Luigi dropped down after him as quickly as he could, his thunderhand charging and crackling with electricity as he dragged and pushed himself along the tunnel behind Knuckles. The Chaos creatures melted into puddle-like shapes and swiftly followed the trio one by one.

"You can try that plan of yours anytime now, Luigi!"

The Italian hero waited until he was sure that all the Chaos' were in the tunnel chasing them, then released the power he had been storing in his thunderhand.

"THUNDER SERPENT!"

A huge, snake-like volt of lightning shot from the plumbers hand, electrocuting the entire mob of Chaos creatures, their watery bodies soaking into the ground. Sighing, Luigi let himself fall flat, grinning at Knuckles.

"This planet of yours is freaking me out."

Suddenly, a hole appeared in front of Knuckles, the ground beneath Luigi crumbling down the side of a cliff, sending the trio falling into a body of water. They had stumbled into the Aquatic Ruin Zone.

* * *

Leaving our trio on Mobius, the scene brings us to Yoshi Island, showing us Jenso and Ryu, still disguised.

* * *

Ryu trudged along behind his 'escort' in silence. He almost felt like he was in shock from how much his home had changed. Every Yoshi village had been transformed into a prison. All the female and elderly Yoshis who weren't warriors or village leaders were torn from their homes. All young Yoshis or unhatched eggs were being stolen from their families, which one of the other escorts had told Jenso was because they were trying to manipulate the unborn and younger Yoshis to work for them. Ryu had a sudden impulse to break free of his chains, enraged by what he saw. As if reading his mind, Jenso gave Ryu's chain a yank, which was enough to remind Ryu to keep up the act for a little longer. Lowering his head, the black Yoshi held himself in check, trying not to ponder what other horrors he would find next.

Hours later, beneath the black cloak of the night, Mario, Wario, Vivian and Sonic carefully make their way toward the pipe leading to Toad Town Tunnels.

From their position crouching on the rooftops, the group could see the pipe leading to the underground tunnels. Mario started to move forward, but was pulled back by Wario.

"Not yet, cousin. Vivian, use your shadow ability to avoid detection and see what there is between us and the entrance."

Nodding, the shadow siren disappeared into the shadows, making her way past any guards undetected. Seconds later, she returned to her waiting allies.

"We have two cloaked Magikoopas standing guard near the pipe, and a Piranha Plant waiting inside the warp pipe. They're the only ones around, so they're probably skilled."

"Tricky bastards..."

Wario stroked and twirled his mustache as he pondered, until his thoughts were interrupted by Sonic.

"I have an idea. I'll distract the two turtles, Wario can take care of them while they're confused, and Mario can deal with the weed."

Before the chubby treasure hunter could reply, the speedy blue hedgehog was already running around the invisible Magikoopas, summoning one of his signature Sonic Wind attacks. Dazed, the magically able Koopas lost their focus, making them visible again. Wario swiftly sent the two dazed guards flying by ramming through both of them, while Mario leapt above the warp pipe. The second he did, the gnashing teeth of a Piranha Plant shot out at him. The red clad plumber used his firehand, launching a fireball down the creatures throat that burned and wilted it from the inside out. The group then proceeded down the warp pipe, wise of the fact that their presence would not go unnoticed for very long. Landing on the floors of the sewers, three blue pipes stood before them, the one to the far right leading to Goomba Village, the middle one leading to Koopa Village. Suddenly overwhelmed by the impulse to find out who else among his circle of friends survived, Mario ran toward the far right pipe, stopped just short by his cousin again.

"Where do you think you're going? The pipe to Yoshi Island is still deeper in the tunnels."

"You three go on ahead without me. I have something I need to check."

Wario was about to argue, but was stopped by the disguised Sonic.

"I'll go with him to drag him back if he gets too sidetracked, Wario. We'll catch up to you two."

The chubby treasure hunter hesitantly grunted approval.

"Alright, Cinos. Keep this cousin of mine out of trouble."

Grinning beneath the hood of his cloak, the speedy hero nodded, following Mario down the blue pipe to Goomba Village. Even the Italian hero of the Mushroom Kingdom was not prepared for the sight that he saw before him. The houses were nothing but ashes. The friends Mario had known from the village were now nothing more than bodies, hollow shells and bones. Among the rubble, the mustached plumber saw a burned, yet still bright blue shell.

"No..."

He sprinted towards the shell as fast as he could, and it was all even Sonic could do to keep up with him. Clearing the debris surrounding the shell aside, Mario found near it a plain blue cap, and in it was a orangish red bandana. Gripping both in his hands, the red clad plumber bit his lip, trying to hold in his tears.

"This is... Goombario's hat... and Kooper's bandana..."

Sonic stood behind his old rival, unsure of how to be of any comfort. Minutes later, after trying in vain to find Goombario's remnants, Mario hung the plain blue cap on a cross he had stuck firmly into the black ashes. Silently, the mustached plumber pocketed the bandana and carried the shell of his old friend back through the blue pipe, venturing down into the one directly next to it which lead to Koopa Village, Sonic never far behind. The scene awaiting them there was even more shocking. All but one of the houses had been burned to ash, the shells of Koopas littering the ground. But the most shocking part was what was taking place in front of the last house that still stood. A mustached Koopa was valiantly fighting back a horde of Clubbas, led by a single Magikoopa. Suddenly, the tide of the battle shifted, and the brave Koopa was hit, smashing into a wall. Fire burning in his eyes, Mario immediately dropped Kooper's shell, sprinting toward the gang of Clubbas as he leapt into the air, taking out his hammer.

"KOLORADO!"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Bitter Duty & Fond Memory

As our story resumes, we return to a raging, mourning Mario, having found an assaulted...

* * *

"KOLORADO!"

The Clubbas turned, barely catching a glimpse of the attacking plumber before he was upon them. Sonic, still beneath his cloak, smirked, carefully putting down the bright blue shell of Kooper.

"Leave it to that plumber to take all the fun for himself. Only thing I can do is put out those fires."

Running out of his cloak with blinding speed, the blue hedgehog created one of his signature 'Sonic Wind' attacks to put out the fires before they could spread. Throwing his hammer into one of the Clubbas, Mario delivered a firm uppercut to another, taking its mace as it fell, swinging the spiked weapon over his head, smashing it down on another Clubba. The remaining two charged the red clad plumber from opposite sides. Jumping up and causing the two attackers to collide, he stomped them both beneath his feet before landing. Whipping around, the mustached Italian ran to help the injured Kolorado. The archeologist was clearly struggling to maintain consciousness, his eyelids flickering. But the blow had been too much, and the mustached Koopa ultimately couldn't resist descending into a comatose state. Before Mario could hoist the unconscious archeologist over his shoulder, he was attacked from behind by the Magikoopa he had forgotten in his desperation to help Kolorado.

"MARIO!"

Sonic had just finished putting out the last of the flames, which, incidentally, left them in nearly total darkness, the only rays of light coming from the crescent moon overhead. The blue hedgehog's eyes couldn't adjust to the sudden change in lighting quickly enough to see where his enemy was, and his red clad former rival had to grope around in the dark to steady himself back on his feet. The Magikoopa, in contrast, was able to determine its targets locations with its magical abilities. Before the magically capable Koopa could unleash its attack, however, an unseen force seemed to strike. The Magikoopas head kept whipping left and right like it was being harshly slapped, and after about 20 seconds, this assault was followed up by something else unseen exploding and sending the Magikoopa flying into the night sky. By this time, Sonic and Mario's eyes had adjusted to the dim light of the moon, and the speedy hedgehog quickly withdrew under his cloak again, while the red clad plumber stood, hoisting Kolorado over his shoulder, looking around for their saviors. As the blue hero rejoined his former rival holding Koopers bright blue shell, Mario saw two old companions materialize before his eyes.

"Bow and Bombette..."

In unison, the two old friends replied.

"Hello, Mario."

* * *

We leave our heroes in the Mushroom Kingdom, returning to our trio on Mobius, who find themselves in the Aquatic Ruin Zone.

* * *

Knuckles dragged an unconscious Luigi and Tails to the best shelter he could find among the ruins, making sure that it was close to the water. The echidna warrior was constantly worrying about what he had seen earlier that day.

_'If Chaos is roaming the earth again, it means the whole world is in serious danger. And the Master Emerald...'_

The guardian looked back at his two unconscious companions.

_'I need to give these two whatever protection I can, though...'_

Having made his decision, the red guardian smashed an ancient stone pillar, making a cave-like shelter out of the surrounding stone ruins, being sure Tails and Luigi would be able to hear the water running nearby when they woke up. With that, Knuckles scaled the tallest pillar he could find, leapt into the air, and began gliding his way to the fallen Angel Island, the outline of which he could make out on the horizon.

* * *

Changing the setting once again, we return to the Mushroom Kingdom, on Yoshi's Island.

* * *

Ryu was completely exhausted, yet he couldn't sleep. Jenso had managed to get them both into the town that had been built where the Fire tribes village had previously stood. Being the only town that had been constructed on the island so far, it was an ideal source of information. Jenso had left the black Yoshi in the only private cell he could find, and they had agreed to continue their act for only three days, at most. For the umpteenth time, Ryu tried to sleep, his mind wandering restlessly. The Dragon Yoshi warrior eventually dozed off, remembering the story his father had told him when he was young.

* * *

Our setting changes one last time, showing us a small part of Ryus mind and one of his most cherished memories.

* * *

_A young Ryu lies in his bed, eager to hear one of his fathers stories. Ryus father smiled at his son, sitting down beside him._

_"Are you ready for tonight's story, son?"_

_"Yes, father."_

_"Years ago, before you were born, Ryu, our peaceful island was invaded by a cruel, ferocious monster. His name was Bowser, and he, along with his six sons and one daughter, took over our serene land. I battled my hardest, and even attempted to overwhelm them with the forbidden Dragon Yoshi transformation. But my will was too weak to control the inner beasts power, and I only ended up causing more destruction before falling to the enemies strength. All hope seemed lost, until one day, two brothers frequented our island. One was clad in red, and he was shorter and plumper. The other was clothed in green, and he was taller and thinner. Both of them exhibited mustaches of magnificent shine, and wore matching blue overalls and brown boots. These were the heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom, the brothers Mario and Luigi. Together, in a fantastic display of courage and strength, they triumphed over Bowser and his seven children..."_

* * *

Flashback ends, as Ryu finally drifts off to sleep...


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Two More Days

Resuming our tale, we see Mario, Bow, Bombette and a cloaked Sonic gathered in silence around a small wooden cross.

* * *

Carefully, Mario placed Koopers bright blue shell into the small hole he had made directly in front of the makeshift grave marker. As he started covering the aspiring explorer's remains, he could hear Bombette faintly sobbing behind him. Bow, having been raised to view becoming emotional in public as inappropriate, simply gazed at Kooper's grave marker in silence, her expression blank. Finishing the burial, the red clad plumber stood upright, turning back towards his companions. The pain the mustached Italian's pain only worsened with five words that escaped Bombette's mouth.

"Where have you been, Mario?"

The question felt like a knife being stabbed through his chest, for it was a question the portly hero couldn't muster the courage to answer. After tedious minutes of silence, Bow suddenly tackled Mario to the ground, slapping him without mercy. Sonic quickly grabbed the furious Boos arms, pulling her off of the dazed mustached plumber. It took Mario a while to realize what had happened before he sat up, too emotionally pained to notice the sting of the marks Bow had left on his face. Struggling free of Sonics grip, the now teary-eyed ghost pointed accusingly at Mario.

"I'LL TELL YOU WHERE HE'S BEEN! HE RAN AWAY! THIS COWARD DESERTED THE ENTIRE KINGDOM, LEFT IT TO BOWSERS MERCY! IT'S CLEAR TO ME THAT HES OBVIOUSLY BEEN AVOIDING ANYTHING THAT COULD ENDANGER HIS LIFE! HE ONLY ACTS SO COURAGEOUS NOW BECAUSE HE FOUND SOMEONE TO COWER BEHIND!"

Her voice hoarse from shouting, Bow glared unforgivingly at the hero that she felt had betrayed her, and then vanished, turning invisible. She ran off, leaving a trail of tears in her wake, Bombette following her to try to calm her down. Sonic, not one who was ever certain how to help in situations like this, walked over to the still unconscious Kolorado. Hoisting the injured archeologist carefully over his shoulder, the speedy blue hero stood and waited for Mario to regain his composure, watching as the moon began to sink lower and lower in the night sky.

* * *

We temporarily shift away from an emotionally tormented Mario and his group, showing us Vivian in the tunnels beneath Toad Town.

* * *

Vivian shivered, unnerved by the piles of Koopa skeletons that littered the room. Wario had told her to wait for him here, but she had been waiting for nearly an hour. They didn't have many hours left before the sun rose and someone discovered them. Suddenly, she heard someone coming through the pipe, and she hid by disappearing into the shadows. To her horror, two other shadow beings like her came out, the larger of the two holding a badly beaten Wario.

"BELDAM! MARILYN!"

Vivian reappeared, dashing over to her sisters and the bloody Wario. Marilyn tossed the broken treasure hunter on the ground, and as Vivian kneeled down to tend to him, her expression of concern turned to one of horror, looking at her sisters. She felt a powerful, dark magic emanating from them.

"They're being controlled by something. Something powerful, and... evil."

Summoning a wall of flame to attempt to stall for time with her fire magic, Vivian grabbed her mustached leader and rushed towards the exit, knowing that she couldn't defeat both of her sisters. But, just before she was about to get through the doorway, she was halted by a wall of the Koopa bones that had littered the floor. Backing away, the former shadow siren shivered as the bones re-organized themselves into skeletons, and soon she was surrounded by Dry Bones. From behind her, Beldam and Marilyn were closing in on Vivian, their thunder and ice magic's power creating an aura around them. Out of fear, and her own helplessness, Vivian cried out.

"MARIO!"

The response the frightened shadow got was somewhat different than she had expected.

"BANZAI!"

From somewhere down the tunnels, Bombette came rocketing through, exploding upon contact with Beldam. A trio of Dry Bones tried to rush Vivian, but were halted and pushed back by Bow's signature smack attack. Marilyn tried to summon a thunderbolt to end the battle, but was stopped by a cloaked Sonic using himself as a projectile to ram into her gut. Having pushed back the first wave of attacks, the three regrouped with Vivian around Wario.

"Cinos! Who are these two?"

"The introductions can wait, Vivian! We have two unconscious that need help FAST! We need to beat these clowns and get out of here before dawn!"

Looking behind her, Vivian saw an unconscious, mustached Koopa laying with Wario. She started to ask who the Koopa was, but thought better of it when she saw more Dry Bones materializing around them. Sonic glared out from beneath the hood of his cloak, remembering something Jenso had told him after his recovery.

* * *

Flashback to three days ago, before the Gateway was destroyed.

* * *

_Sonic jumped up out of his bed, stretching out his limbs. He had been slipping in and out of consciousness for a week, and he was anxious to see if he was fully healed. As soon as he was done stretching, the orange clad man who had healed him walked in. He introduced himself as Jenso, and told Sonic that his friends, Tails and Knuckles, were also healed, waiting for him so they could return to Mobius. _

_"Thanks for all you've done, Jenso. I've got a planet to save, so if you'll excuse me."_

_Before the blue blur could run off, however, Jenso put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a warning._

_"I did the best I could for your legs. They should be able to work alright, but they won't be able to handle the usual high speeds you run at for a while. If you try to run any faster than a quarter of your usual speed within the next five days, your legs may never work again. You may become crippled for the rest of your life..."_

* * *

End of flashback, returns to the present.

* * *

_'It's been three days since then... Two more days and I could run full power without any worries, but...'_

Sonics thoughts were halted momentarily as he punched another Dry Bone that had attempted to attack Bombette. Looking behind him at the beaten Kolorado and Wario, the blue hedgehog remembered the race he had challenged Mario to two days earlier.

_'I had been going my maximum back then, and it took longer than usual for my legs to feel back to normal. I was going at half my normal speed from hunger, and even then I felt sharp pain that made me believe what Jenso said, but... It doesn't matter what happens to me, I made a promise to Mario that I'd keep his friends safe.'_

Having made his choice, Sonic knocked back the enclosing circle of Dry Bones as far as he could, then shouted out.

"VIVIAN! GRAB WARIO AND HOLD ONTO ME! BOW! BOMBETTE! YOU TWO GRAB MY OTHER ARM! HURRY!"

Unsure of Cinos' plan, but willing to try it, Vivian blasted the brainwashed Beldam with a last powerful fire spell, while Bow used her fan to smack Marilyn into Bombette, who exploded on contact. Having temporarily deterred the two controlled shadow sisters, Vivian firmly gripped Wario with one hand, and Sonics left arm with the other. Wrapping his right arm around Kolorado's shell, Sonic waited until he felt the hands of both Bow and Bombette on his right shoulder before blasting his way through the Dry Bones that blocked the exit, leaping into the pipe to Toad Town before Beldam or Marilyn even realized that he'd escaped. Leaping out of the other end of the pipe, the blue blur didn't stop, speeding full pelt out of Toad Town, his companions hands gripped on him for all they were worth. Feeling remembering the promise he had made to Mario earlier that very night.

* * *

Flashback to about twenty minutes ago, in Koopa Village, where Mario seems to have recovered emotionally.

* * *

_Mario stood up, looking directly at the sinking moon. Then, unprovoked, he quietly spoke._

_"I'm going out to find them."_

_At this, Sonic perked up._

_"Going to find who, Mario? Where are we going now?"_

_Turning to his ex-rival, the red clad plumber shook his head._

_"We're not going. I'm going alone. I need you to take Bow, Bombette and Kolorado back to the Resistance base with Wario and Vivian."_

_Putting a hand on his old friends shoulder, the speedy hedgehog retorted._

_"You don't have a say in where I go, plumber. You're NOT going out there to find anyone by yourself."_

_"DAMMIT, SONIC! LISTEN TO ME!"_

_Taken surprise by the mustached Italians outburst, the blue hero stepped back. After a brief pause, Mario continued, taking out of his pocket Kooper's red bandana._

_"Kolorado can't come with us, and he can't go back without someone to protect him. Bow and Bombette need protection too. I'm sorry I have to ask you this, since people are still sore about the conflict between us, but I don't have a choice. As my old friend, and respected rival, I only have this request of you. Please, PLEASE get my friends to help safely. And... when Kolorado gets better, give him this."_

_Mario handed his fallen friend's bandana to his rival. Having been touched emotionally by the sincerity in his ex-rival's plea, Sonic sighed and nodded, tucking the bandana safely away into his pouch._

_"Alright, Mario. I'll keep them safe, no matter what. Just keep yourself alive out there, deal?"_

_Clasping hands with his old friend, Mario smirked._

_"No problem."_

_With that, Mario turned and started running off into the night, only to be stopped by a call from Sonic. Taking out one of the three emeralds in his pouch, the blue hedgehog threw it to the red clad Italian._

_"Take care of that! It's a good luck charm!"_

_"You just take care of my friends, hedgehog!"_

_"Count on it, plumber!"_

_With that final exchange, the two rivals parted ways, both comforted by the knowledge that they would meet up again..._

* * *

End of flashback.

* * *

Suddenly, Sonic felt a sharp jolt of pain in his legs, followed by a faint popping sound. His knee joints had been dislocated, causing his bones to grind against each other, the pain sharply increasing his blood pressure to the point that his head felt like a jackhammer was trying to break out. The speedy hedgehog went down hard, the sudden change in speed causing Kolorado, Bow, Bombette, Vivian and Wario to be thrown off, all landing further ahead of the blue blur.

"GNAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Sonics cry of extreme agony pierced the air, and he quickly bit down on his tongue to keep from giving them all away. Hearing the rest of the group approaching from a distance, the Mobian hero puked from the pain before he passed out from exhaustion, unaware that his cloak's hood had come off, leaving his identity open to the world...


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: A Good Case of Bad Luck

We resume our story, on Yoshi's Island, where we see Jenso, still in disguise, at a bar.

* * *

Jenso sighed, taking a swig from his mug of beer. He had been nursing the same drink for five hours now, and he had nothing to show for it. He had assumed that since there was only one bar on the island, it would be the liveliest place. He was right on that count, but none of the other minions were sober. He had thought that he could use that to his advantage, since he wouldn't have to be as cautious to avoid suspicion. Unfortunately, even if he was lucky enough to find one who could maintain their balance, the only answers he had gotten were either indecipherable gibberish or irrelevant babble. Jenso watched as the last of the drunken groups filed out of the bar, finishing off his mug, turning around to the bartender.

"Oy, barkeep! Is it this noisy every night, or is this a special occasion?"

The bartender turned toward the disguised orange clad hero, silent as he walked up and took Jenso's mug, cleaning it with the rag he kept in an old dagger sheathe. Jenso thought that the bartender, known as Ronin, looked unusual among Bowser's minions. His hands were orangish-red, and his arms were covered in blue fur. He never took off the hood of his cloak, so no one knew what his face looked like. The bartender was mysterious to say the least, but Jenso quickly dismissed it, asking Ronin something else.

"Ronin, what do you know about the things they do with the Yoshi's on this island?"

The hooded bartender placed Jenso's mug back on the shelf with the rest before he answered.

"You'd know if you were a minion of Bowser. You're clearly not, and the only reason no one except me has noticed is because I'm the only one who can see through your little act. Not one of these dim-witted turtles has enough sense to get them any farther than becoming a slave to a dictator, and that's what they got."

In a swift movement that was too fast to be seen by the naked eye, Jenso had Ronin against a wall with his right hand, a powerful orb of flame materializing in his left hand.

"Who do you work for?"

The cloaked bartender's voice did not weaken in the slightest as he spoke.

"I work for no one. My very name means 'Samurai without a master', which is precisely what I am. Please, put out that flame orb, or do you plan to violate the pact you and Ryu made to keep up your act for however many days?"

The disguised orange clad hero hesitated, momentarily caught off guard by Ronins knowledge of the pact he had made with Ryu. Glaring, Jenso made the fireball in his hand disappear, releasing his grip on the samurai. Turning his back on the enigmatic warrior, Jenso stopped in the doorway.

"If you know of the pact, surely you must know about our intentions to shut down whatever operation these bastards have put in place here. If nothing else, can you tell me what the best method would be to do that?"

"Be patient, gather more information. Information is power in times like these, my friend."

Feeling as though he had wasted the entire night, Jenso gazed at the setting moon on the horizon as he exited the bar, wondering how he was going to be able to keep Ryu under control for another two days.

* * *

Leaving a frustrated Jenso, the scene shifts us to Mobius, showing us the control room in the airship.

* * *

The shadowed villain watched the dozen monitors before him, all showing the shelter Knuckles had made for Tails and Luigi, pondering which of his prey to target.

_'Tails and the green mustache are completely exposed. I could easily have both killed in seconds. However, there is the echidna to consider. He may be easy to manipulate, but when he stubbornly sets his mind on something, not even a semi-perfect Chaos can stop him...'_

Switching the monitor's view to Knuckles as he glided through the brightening gray sky of the twilight before dawn.

"For now, I must concentrate on keeping the echidna from reaching my main base of operations on the ground."

Having made his decision, the villain called for his most trusted android.

"205!"

* * *

The scene changes, showing us Knuckles gliding through the sky.

* * *

Knuckles could make out the outline of Angel Island on the horizon. As he drew closer, however, he saw that Robotnik had beaten him to it. The whole island, which had crashed into the ground, was surrounded by another polluting city, the buildings stretching out for at least a mile in each direction. Knowing that he would need full strength to get through the city's defenses, Knuckles began to descend. Suddenly, a blue tentacle-like arm grabbed him from below, pulling him down, slamming him into the ground. Tearing himself free, the echidna guardian glared all around. He was surrounded by Chaos clones and flying Mechs armed with guns. They opened fire on him from all directions, but they weren't shooting bullets. They were shooting paralysis darts. Despite his best efforts, the red echidna finally was tagged, and many times over. Refusing to be taken, he roared as he thrust himself into the nearest Mech, but the paralysis injections had made his reflexes sluggish, and he missed, landing face first into the ground, unable to move. There was a millisecond of the feeling of cold metal against the skin beneath his fur, then darkness...

* * *

One last time, we switch the setting, showing us a prison in the underground headquarters of the Resistance.

* * *

Sonic slowly opened his eyes. He was in some sort of underground dungeon, or cell. He propped himself up, looking down at his legs. He tried to move, and got a sharp pounding pain in his head for his effort.

"Don't you move, rodent. Not that you can, with those two dislocated knees."

Looking up, Sonic saw that he was sharing the cell with Bombette, Bow, and a still unconscious Kolorado, a very slow, but steady, flow of blood dripping from his damaged skull. Leaning his head back over the head of the wooden bed he was on, looking outside of the cell, he saw Wario, his arm in a sling, glaring at the blue hero from beneath the shadow of his hat. Toadsworth was standing nearest the entrance, but he didn't look any friendlier. The elderly Toad pointed towards the speedy hedgehog.

"Sonic! You lying scummy rodent! Where is Mario?! Are these three also from your world?! Please do tell, we've been waiting for hours to ask you!"

With that, he slammed the end of his cane to the floor.

"Mario went off to take care of some business that he had to attend to. I don't know where he is exactl-"

Sonic was cut off by an angry Wario.

"LIAR! MY COUSIN WOULD NEVER LEAVE WITHOUT TELLING ONE OF US! YOU DAMN ROADKILL LOW LIFE!"

"MASTER WARIO! COMPOSE YOURSELF THIS INSTANT, OR I WILL BE FORCED TO REMOVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL LIKE THE DOCTOR TOLD ME TO!"

Snarling, the chubby treasure hunter spat, but bit his lip, silent. However, when they both looked back into the cell, what they saw left them both silent, dumbstruck. Sonic had pushed himself off the bed with his arm, rolling off onto the ground. He was in the closest thing to a kneeling position his currently useless legs could allow, his head to the floor.

"Please. I'm begging you. BEGGING you, give these three the treatment they need, that they DESERVE. I'm not asking for myself, but I swear I don't know any of them, they don't have anything to do with me. I-"

The desperate hedgehog paused, coughing up blood onto the floor, gasping for air.

"I don't care what you do with me, just please, don't keep these three down here. That's all I ask, I beg of you. Just this one request, and I will endure whatever you wish to put me through afterward..."

Again, Sonic coughed up blood, his vision blurring. He didn't have the strength to keep awake, and he just hoped that he would have been able to fully fulfill his promise to Mario...


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Captives

We resume our story on Mobius, showing us an isolated cell beneath the city surround the fallen Angel Island.

* * *

Knuckles awoke in a dark and damp chamber, steel bars and walls surrounding him. Some type of collar had been put around his neck, which he tried to remove, only to get zapped. A light shone down on him from the ceiling, a two way video blinking onto the monitor screen, showing a figure the echidna knew immediately, speaking with malice in his voice.

"Robotnik..."

The cyborg villain smiled cruelly, his eyes purely red, his voice as cold and stainless as his metallic heart.

"You're as perceptive as ever, Knuckles, my friend."

"You're no friend of mine, you bastard."

"My my, such barbaric language. Has something upset you, my dear echidna?"

Angered by the mocking he was being subjected to, Knuckles growled from deep within his throat, contemplating tearing the electrical collar off his neck.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO CHAOS?!"

Robotnik closed his eyes, stroking his shaded brown mustache with a metallic hand.

"Chaos? I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about, Knuckles. I haven't seen Chaos since he escaped from the Master Emerald during that incident years ago. Have you encountered the creature recently, then?"

Knuckles, gullible as he was, momentarily lost the edge of anger in his voice.

"I...well, yes. But there was more than one Chaos."

The manipulative 'Doctor' continued his act, faking surprise and intrigue at Knuckles' comment.

"Multiple Chaos'? Fascinating..."

Knuckles' anger returned, and it wasn't hard to hear it in his voice.

"What are you holding me here for?! I HAVE TO GET TO THE MASTER EMERALD! RELEASE ME, ROBOTNIK!"

Furiously, the red echidna lashed out at the walls of his steel prison cell. Before he could make so much as a dent in the plating, however, mechanical arms reached down from the ceiling. One by one they caught Knuckles' limbs in an iron grip that not even he could break free of, no matter how he struggled against them. The mechanical arms moved the echidna back to the center of the cell, facing him towards the screen. Robotnik had managed as empathetic a face as a cyborg could attain as he spoke to the fuming red guardian.

"I cannot release you just yet, Knuckles. I have brought you here for information, and having heard it, I have a proposition to make to you, that is, if you'll listen."

Accepting that he could not free himself, Knuckles lowered his head, giving a nearly inaudible grunt of affirmation. Satisfied, a cruel grin subtly spreading across his face, the 'Doctor' continued.

"Good. As you are, I am concerned by this threat of Perfect Chaos reappearing on Mobius. I know that you are in possession of a chaos emerald, which would surely help me in finding an explanation for why Chaos seems to have created clones of himself. But I will need more than one emerald, and the only other one that I know of is held by Tails."

Hearing this comment regarding Tails, Knuckles' ears perked up, for this was news to him. His mind was torn between betraying Tails' trust and using this offer as a means of being able to reach the Master Emerald. Seeing the echidna's indecision, Robotnik sighed, releasing him from the grip of the mechanical arms.

"I will give you 10 hours to give me your decision."

With that, the monitor screen went black, leaving Knuckles alone in the cell with his thoughts.

* * *

We leave Mobius, returning us to the underground cell Sonic is being held in the Mushroom Kingdom.

* * *

Sonic awoke hours later, his head still pounding, still on the stone floor of the underground prison. Turning his head to either side of him, he saw that was alone, meaning that his request had been granted, at least. The blue hedgehog's burden was lifted, giving a sigh of relief. It was then he heard the gruff, strong voice of Wario.

"Look at you. You're a pathetic sight, rodent. Without the use of your legs, you're completely useless."

Sonic didn't look up to meet the chubby treasure hunters gaze, instead rolling onto his back, pushing himself up into a sitting position before he answered.

"I don't need your commentary, elf. If you expect to find some kind of amusement out of my pain, then I should remind you that your people are still at war."

"I hardly need a crippled rat to tell me that, and although your suffering does provide some entertainment, that's not why I'm here. You have a visitor."

Sonic was silent as he twisted his torso, looking behind him to see who was accompanying Wario.

"Kolorado..."

The archeologist had a bandage wrapped around his head, under his hat, that covered his right eye. His right arm was in a sling, his left holding a crutch that he was leaning on. His shell had a visible chip taken out of it on the outer edge, and his mustache was rough and unshaven.

"Forgive me for intruding, old boy, but I wished to speak with you. Do you mind?"

Keeping his expression void of emotion, the speedy blue hero replied.

"Whatever makes you happy..."

* * *

We change scenes one last time, turning our attention to Ryu.

* * *

_Ryu found himself bound in chains he could not break, his wings had been bound together by nails, his earthshaking power had been muted, and his flames had been doused. Everywhere he turned, he saw destruction of his home. His people were screaming in terror, many writhing in pain on the ground among the dead that lay around him. He desperately tried to ran to the aid of anyone he could, struggling against his chains with all his strength, but to no avail. He saw his father, transformed into the forbidden Dragon Yoshi beast, and he realized that it was his father who was causing the destruction, unable to control the immense power._

_"Father! Please, stop!"_

_Ryu saw Bowser's children pounding away at his father with Banzai Bills and he roared in protest._

_"Leave him alone!"_

_Suddenly, Ryu saw not his father as the transformed Dragon Yoshi, but himself, and he realized that HE was the one causing all the pain and devastation. He saw through the eyes of the beast, felt the Banzai Bills crashing into his body. He lashed out randomly, he couldn't control the primal power of the inner dragons form. He wanted desperately to stop causing so much pain, but his body was acting on it's own, on instinct and nothing else._

_"FATHER! HELP ME!"_

* * *

"GAH!"

Ryu awoke gasping for air, his mind panicking as he realized the feeling of cold metal chains on his arms. Acting purely on instinct, he broke free and pushed his back up against a wall. It was then that he saw that a Koopatrol was standing outside his cell. Thinking that the underling had been watching him writhe in his sleep because of his nightmare, he growled menacingly. Yet, the armored Koopa did not so much as flinch.

"There is no need to be hostile, my friend. I mean no harm towards you."

"Your scent is not that any friend of mine. Yet, at the same time, it is not that of a Koopa either, and some mark of your body is vaguely familiar to my nostrils, though I place where I have sensed it before. Who are you?"

The unknown visitor placed both hands on his helmet as he spoke.

"You are correct on all counts, Ryu, but you may classify my scent as one of an ally. My name is Ronin, and I shall show you why my scent triggers a sense of familiarity to you. But, you must promise to tell no one, barring your partner."

How Ronin knew of Jenso was not on Ryu's mind as he responded.

"You have my word."

Satisfied with the black Yoshi's vow, Ronin removed the headpiece of his disguise, revealing his true face. Ryu's eyes widened as his mind made the connection to who and what he was.

"You...!"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: We Have Fury

(Note: The next two chapters, including this one, all begin at the same point in time, so all events in chapters 15-16 are happening simultaneously.)

We return to Yoshis Island, where Ronin has just revealed his identity to Ryu.

* * *

Ronin allowed the shocked Ryu a moment of silence before he spoke.

"Well, now you know the truth about who I am."

Ryu could only nod as the samurai replaced the headpiece of his disguise. Suddenly, the enigmatic warrior whipped his head towards the entrance to the cellblock, whispering to Ryu as quietly as he could.

"Wait here a moment."

As he made for the exit, however, Jenso, having returned to his normal garments, leapt down in front of him from the rafters above, taking hold of his neck.

"Just where do you think you'r-"

The orange-clad hero was interrupted by the sound of a high pitched, odd cackle, followed by an equally oddly worded threat.

"We have fury! Spies are the mold on the cheese of the pizza of our plan of revenge!"

Jenso turned toward the entrance, and before him was a very disturbing sight. A small, bean-like creature with headgear that looked like a fusion between a jet pack and a vacuum was hovering in the entrance. An eerie, tooth-filled grin stretched across his face, and he was garbed in a dark purple suit with a black star in the center, and a collared cape that was decorated with red, black and purple. His eyes were covered by glasses with red spirals over the lenses, and his speech was like that of one who only knew english as a secondary language. In one of his small, green hands, he held a young baby Yoshi, one that was whimpering in fear, and with the other, he had a dagger aimed for it's throat.

"You will release that minion now, rat-fink, or the young one shall perish!"

Jenso glared at the evil, hovering figure, and released Ronin, who knelt before his 'savior'.

"Thank you, Lord Fawful."

"Up you get, weakling! Take our new prisoner to the underground cell block!"

"Yes, my Lord."

Ronin cuffed the angry Jenso, and began to escort him out when Ryu let out a roar of protest, smashing out of his cell.

"RONIN! YOU TRAITOROUS RAT!"

The enraged black Yoshi rushed to free his ally, but froze when he saw the baby Yoshi still in the villains clutches, his eyes welling with tears out of fear. Fawful's high-pitched voice pierced the momentary silence.

"Ah! Of course! Fawful has manners forgotten! It is clearly Ryu before me, who we have heard through the grapevine of information, is the mightiest of the mighty on this island of Yoshis! His capture shall be the icing upon our revenge cake! Now, be a good little rat-fink and allow Ronin to put on you chains of shame, or this terrified weeper shall weep his last!"

Ryu growled furiously from deeply within him, infuriated that his people were being abused in this way. Suddenly, he doubled over, his hand clutching his chest. His heart was beating abnormally fast, and he felt it seem to swell, to grow inside him, the sound of it's beating growing steadily louder. The pain was lifted as Jenso cried out to him.

"RYU! WHAT'S WRONG?!"

"Fawful demands silence, NOW! Or the blood of this mini-rat-fink shall become the worms in the apple of your consciences! RONIN! Cuff the weak warrior, NOW!"

Ryu stood up, quietly shocked as the chains returned to his wrists. A few minutes later, they were walking down a hidden stairwell, leading to a new room of cells. When Ryu saw who the other prisoners were, he was broken out of his shocked trance.

"Sumo! Hinote! Kuuchuu! Elders! You're alive!"

Each tribe elder was kept in a different cell, along with their tribe's strongest warrior. However, they did not look upon Ryu with relief or concern, but rather contempt. Ryu's outburst was met only with a cold silence. Fawful's eerie laugh broke through it.

"Interesting this is! The seeing of Ryu should be the cheese upon their burger of delicious reunion! But instead, it is the poison in their soup! But, we still have more important matters which craves our tending! Ronin! You are to be the guard of the rat-finks!"

"Yes, my lord."

With that, Ryu and Jenso were thrown into a cell, locked up and left by the cackling Fawful. Ronin began to pace back and forth, and it was at that moment that Ryu noticed that they had another in their cell. But he looked fatally ill, and it took Ryu a moment to recognize the face of the weakened Dragon tribe Elder.

"No..."

Ryu rushed over to the sick Elder, taking his hand. Jenso glanced over, but said nothing, knowing it was not his place to comment. Ryu whispered gently to his tribe elder.

"Elder... Please... It's me, Ryu..."

Hearing this, the sickly Yoshi's face seemed to regain the glow Ryu remembered, and the tired eyes sparkled with welling tears of joy, as the elder held Ryu in a mutual embrace.

"Thank the heavens you are alive, Ryu. I have been sick with worry for your safety, since you rushed off like that..."

Ryu felt tears of his own well up in his eyes.

"I'm fine, and I've realized what I did was foolish. Please forgive me... father."

At this, Jenso's curiosity piqued, and his listening became more intent as Ryu's father replied.

"There is nothing to forgive, son. What is important is that you are here now, and you can now help us fight if it comes to that."

One of the other Yoshi warriors let out a disapproving grunt, to which Ryu responded with a sigh. Feigning a lack of interest, Jenso casually questioned.

"What exactly IS your story, anyway?"


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Reminiscence

The scene returns us to the underground HQ of the Resistance, where we see Kolorado with Sonic in his cell.

* * *

The injured archeologist walked around Sonic so they were facing one another.

"I understand I have you to thank for my treatments."

The blue hedgehog allowed the smallest glimpse of a smile to show on his face.

"I was only doing what anyone else would have."

"I must give you my thanks regardless. But that's not why I came here. I have many questions, and no one will tell me anything. Where is Mario?"

Sonic fell silent momentarily before he answered.

"I'm sorry. Not even I know where he is. He's not going anywhere dangerous, though, I can promise you that much. He didn't want anyone to worry about him."

Kolorado smiled solemnly, leaning his head back against the stone wall.

"Yes, that does sound like Mario. The old boy is still as selfless as ever."

The archeologist sat, looking Sonic straight in the eye as he spoke.

"But something still troubles me. What of Kooper? I wish to see the lad, be certain he is alright. I remember he rushed off down the warp pipe to give his aid to his little friend, Goombario."

Sonic was silent again, slowly opening his pouch and reaching inside, feeling the cloth of Kooper's red bandana for a moment, before taking it out and handing it to Kolorado. The archeologist looked up as though to say something, but stopped when he saw the solemn expression on Sonics face. As the harsh, cold realization sank in, Sonic tried to maintain his emotionless expression, watching as tears welled up in the old Koopa's eyes. When he spoke, he spoke very softly, seeming to have entirely forgotten Sonics presence.

"Kooper... My young apprentice, I am so very sorry. You were always a brave lad, I dare say braver than I. You died in an act of nobility, while I survive because of my cowardice and self-centeredness. You were like a son to me, and I was always so proud of you and your ambition. My greatest regret is that we won't be able to take any more expeditions together. Kooper, noble lad, forgive me."

Slowly, his head hung, holding the bandana around the handle of his crutch as he silently walked out of the cell, without another word to Sonic. Wario locked the cell up again, and the blue hedgehog was alone. Gritting his teeth, so as not to shout out in pain, he grabbed the edge of his wooden fold-out bed that hung from the wall with one hand, grabbed one of the chains that held it to the wall with the other and slowly pulled himself back up onto it. Lying down on his back, the blue hero closed his eyes, his mind drifting away from where his body was, taking back to the memory of his first meeting with Mario.

* * *

The setting changes, showing us a wide, open battlefield, where Sonic has just appeared on the scene.

* * *

_Sonic took a moment to absorb the layout of the scene before him, sitting atop a boulder behind Alex Kidd, the man the young hedgehog had been sent to replace. Kidd was on the ground, looking thoroughly battered, looking up at the blue hero, perplexed. Sonic lifted his head up, asserting his gaze to the one who was meant to be his opponent. He saw a mustached man, garbed in blue overalls, light brown boots and a red shirt and hat. On the center of his hat was a bold, red 'M', which, as Sonic knew, stood for Mario. Having satisfied his eyes, the blue hero leapt down from his perch, standing between Alex and Mario, showing that he was next to fight the red clad plumber. Sonic made his intentions clear to Kidd, never averting his eyes from his enemy._

_"Get out of here, Kidd. I'm your replacement, so I'll take it from here."_

_Alex sat up, and even as he shouted, a group of medics were rushing to take him away._

_"My replacement?! Says who?!"_

_Looking over his shoulder at the ape-like alien, Sonic responded in a dramatic tone._

_"The higher-ups."_

_With that, Kidd was removed from the battlefield, leaving Sonic and Mario alone, staring each other down. Mario pointed an accusing finger at his new foe._

_"Just who the hell are you, rodent? What can you possibly do that I haven't already seen?!"_

_The blue hedgehog simply smirked, mocking the mustached Italian with a 'Bring it on' gesture. Glaring at the new fighter, Mario dashed forward and leapt into the air, aiming a downward kick to his opponents neck. Half a second before impact, the plumbers target ducked and sidestepped the attack, and countered by delivering a roundhouse kick to the back of his targets head. The experienced fighter barely had time to angle his body to the left with the tip of his shoe and dodge the blow, his hat being swept off his head. Regaining his footing temporarily, the portly plumber jumped backwards, putting distance between his opponent and himself. After a minute of tense silence, Mario recovered his hat, replacing it on his head as he acknowledged Sonics skill._

_"Not too shabby, hedgehog. I may actually get a decent workout."_

_It was at that moment, after both sides had tested one another, that something passed between Sonic and Mario... the beginning of a bond between rivals._

* * *

The flashback ends, returning us to the present.

* * *

Sonic opened his eyes, many thoughts passing through his head.

_'Mario... Where are you now? Did you find your friends? Or have you suffered more heartbreak?'_

The contemplative hedgehog turned his head to one side, his train of thought changed.

_'And what about you, Tails? Are you with Knuckles? Are you safe?'_

It was then that Sonic heard new footsteps approaching, and, thinking it was Wario again, he continued to lay still. He was surprised when he heard a different voice than the accented one he had expected.

"Uh... Mr. Hedgehog? Are you awake?"

Sonic craned his neck to see who the new visitor was, and the face of Koops met his eyes. The normally confident koopa seemed nervous, glancing again and again towards the direction he had come from. He smiled nervously when he met the blue hedgehog's gaze.

"Oh! Good, you're awake. I, uh... Well, here."

Koops reached into his shell and produced a small biscuit, and threw it onto Sonics chest through the bars of his cell. The injured hedgehog looked at the food on his stomach, perplexed, and looked back at Koops.

"Why are you giving me this? Is it poisoned or something?"

The tall Koopa laughed a little, shaking his head.

"No, no. It's just... Well, I don't have anything against you. The conflict was years before I was born, after all. And you rescued Kolorado, one of my friends, so..."

Koops' voice trailed off, and he turned and started to walk back out. Smiling, the grateful hedgehog called out to his tentative new ally before he started to eat.

"The plumber's lucky to have the kind of friends he does. I can guarantee that wherever he is, he's doing what he's doing because he knows that so well."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: Déjá Vu

We are returned to the underground cell beneath the city surrounding the fallen Angel Island, where Knuckles has been waiting for hours.

* * *

Knuckles was slowly weakening to the temptation of Robotnik's proposition. The echidna's relationship with Tails was greatly outweighed by his sense of duty to protect the Master Emerald. Unfortunately, the red guardian didn't know how to make the villain aware that he had made a decision. A moment before his anger was about to take hold of him and control his actions, however, the steel bars of his prison lifted, and the electric locks on the titanium door which opened to the stairs leading to the surface unlocked. His rage forgotten, the utterly confused fighter made his way out of his dank surroundings and up the stairs, completely perplexed as to what had caused his release. His questions were soon answered, as the unmistakably evil and cold voice of Robotnik reached his ears.

"Very good, my dear Knuckles. You finally reached a verdict."

The echidna found himself at what appeared to be a dead end, and was wildly whipping his eyes all around for the source of the "Doctor's" voice.

"Reach upward, my friend, and push."

Not in a position to refuse advice, Knuckles did as he was told, and a wave of sunlight flooded into the tunnel, which momentarily blinded him. Regardless, he moved upward and out, and found that what he had thought to be part of the ceiling of the tunnel was actually a hidden steel door in the ground, covered by fake grass to disguise it from any who might be nosy. The door snapped shut automatically, and it was again completely camouflaged.

"Where are you, Robotnik?"

The cruel laugh of the deceitful villain pierced the air, sending a chill down the red echidna's spine.

"Do not bother looking, my friend. I am far from your location, safely communicating via your special electrical collar."

Knuckles reached a hand up to feel for the collar around his neck, but, remembering how he had been shocked the first time, he thought better of it. The metallic-hearted villain's voice continued.

"Now, you must move quickly to find your friend. He and the green one are already on the move."

Knuckles sighed, and began racing through the forest, searching for a suitable vantage point to figure out his location, keeping his thoughts to himself rather than speak out loud for Robotnik to hear.

_'At least I know the Master Emerald is where it belongs. Robotnik wouldn't have set up a city around the island if he weren't planning to keep it there.'_

The echidna had climbed high enough to map out his surroundings. It took him less than a minute to recognize the ruins where he had left his companions. Dropping from his vantage point, he began sprinting towards the Aquatic Ruin Zone, hoping to find some trace of his young friend that would help track him down.

* * *

Leaving Knuckles, the setting shifts our view to the sky, inside the head control room of Robotnik's airship.

* * *

Robotnik spoke through the communications chip in Knuckles' collar once more before disconnecting.

"I'll be available anytime. Contact me when you reach your target."

With those falsely cordial words, the manipulative 'doctor' disconnected, and burst out in an uproar of cold laughter.

"That knucklehead played right into my metallic hands! He is as gullible as ever! With him hunting down the fox and that pesky green man, all three are out of the picture, and I can continue my experimentation on my 'pet' in peace."

A cruel smile etched on his face, the heartless cyborg switched his monitors to a view of a laboratory. Dozens of identical androids were filing around the lab, taking notes, measuring vital signs of over a hundred test subjects and balancing out complex mixtures of chemicals for experimental injections. All the androids had been programmed with artificial intelligence, focused solely on science. But, in light of Robotniks sickening ideas for experimentation, they were also made to have absolutely no sense of morals or ethics, and they were never hesitant to kill any subject that had failed. Robotniks orders on the intercom brought all the androids to attention, and they listened with undivided attention for their masters commands.

"Scientists! Begin testing in the virtual experimentation chamber!"

In unison, they saluted their master and began carrying out his orders. Watching from within the control room, Robotnik's evil smile grew wider, his insane mind eager to witness the fruits of the latest subjects...

* * *

Turning the scene to Tails and Luigi, we find them sitting inside a cave in the Ice Cap Zone.

* * *

Luigi stood shivering near the entrance to the cave, trying to warm himself by electrifying his clothes with his thunderhand.

"Tails, why are we stopping? What's the hold up?"

Tails took a while before responding. The young fox was deep in thought, staring at the radar on his wrist. He had created it months ago, designing it so that it could detect any organic life forms within fifty miles. He had noticed that it was beeping when he woke up. After a brief discussion of whether to follow it or look for Knuckles, he and Luigi had traveled through the snow to this cave, where the path between them and the life that had been detected was blocked by an enormous boulder. It wasn't the obstacle that caused him to hesitate, however, it was the question of what lay behind it.

_'Robotnik could have easily reprogrammed my satellite remotely. If he did, this could be a trap designed to capture us. But what if it ISN'T, and there really IS someone trapped in this cave that needs our help? Crap... What would Sonic do?'_

Having asked himself, Tails knew instantly what the answer was, and called back to Luigi.

"Luigi! I need your help!"

The green clad plumber was next to the prodigious youth within moments, happy to be farther away from the cold outside.

"What's up?"

Tails pointed to the boulder in front of them.

"Can you smash it?"

The mustached Italian looked at the obstacle before them and grinned.

"That thing? Not a problem."

Taking out his hammer, Luigi heaved it forward, and brought it down into the rock, smashing the boulder with one strike. The inner depths of the cave revealed an utter darkness, through which no light from the outside could penetrate. Wary of the possibility of a trap, Tails called out.

"Is anybody in here?"

He was met with nothing but the echo of his own voice. Judging it to be too dangerous to continue, Tails turned to leave, but was caught by Luigi.

"Hold on, kid. I've had plenty of experience with caves. I can guarantee that there's nothing this one has to offer that I haven't seen before."

WIth those brave words, the confident green clad hero charged an orb of lighting in his hand, illuminating the caves interior. Smiling, he began to venture in.

"See? Nothing to worry abou-"

At that very moment, Luigi stepped on a switch in the floor, which was a trigger for the wall opposite the cave entrance to shoot dozens upon dozens of arrows. Luigi narrowly avoided being impaled by leaping over them, landing deeper inside the cave. Unfortunately, he had landed on yet another switch, which caused two dozen cannons to drop from their resting place in the walls and all fire simultaneously. Luigi hopped frantically from the top of one cannonball to another until they ceased fire. Thinking he was in the clear, the mustached plumber was fully unprepared for the flamethrower on the ceiling which activated at just then. His hat ablaze, the green clad Italian rushed outside into the cold and buried his head deep into the snow. Straightening his hat, Luigi walked back into the cave, his voice meek.

"Ho-kay. That's new."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Time's Up

We see Luigi and Tails on Mobius, the night of the same day.

* * *

Luigi rubbed his arms, keeping watch for any intruders that might enter the cave. Having decided to go back to the ruins to find Knuckles, Tails and his green clad companion were caught in the middle of a vicious blizzard. Unable to find their way due to the snow, the duo was fortunate enough to chance upon another cave, one with distinctly fewer traps than the previous. The pair of wanderers had been waiting in the cave for hours, and still the storm raged on. Tails had fallen asleep, laying comfortably against the cave wall, leaving Luigi on his own to keep an eye out for any surprise attack. Although not a superstitious person, the mustached plumber could not keep a certain disturbing thought from his mind.

_'Could this storm be an omen for some terrible thing still on its way? I hate to think it, but I can't shake the feeling that somewhere, something terrible is about to take place.'_

* * *

For now, we leave the worried Luigi, and return to the sleeping Yoshis Island, in the hidden prison.

* * *

All but two souls were asleep in the prison below ground, reserved for only the islands strongest warriors and tribe elders. There was one exception, and that was the alleged spy, Jenso. The prison guard, Ronin, could have been asleep but for the occasional sound of his pacing footsteps. Jenso, his head resting back on his arms, was wide awake, turning over what Ryu had told him in his mind.

_'That last bit of his story, and his father's response... The level of magic required for something like that...'_

* * *

Flashback to that very morning.

* * *

_The beginning of Ryus history, the parts that were important, was long before he had left the island 10 days ago. It began months earlier, when the time had come for each tribe elder to choose the strongest among their tribes warriors. Although it was well known throughout the Mushroom Kingdom that Bowser had made a solemn vow to end his evil ways, tradition was still upheld, to honor their ancestors if nothing else. The trials for deciding among the warriors varied for each tribe. In the Fire tribe, the warrior able to maintain a constant stream of flames was chosen. In the Earth tribe, the warrior able to cause the biggest quake was picked. In the Sky tribe, the warrior able to fly to the highest altitude without losing consciousness was considered the strongest. The Dragon tribes trial was far different from all others. In the Dragon tribe, the warrior with the purest heart was chosen. To determine ones purity of heart, the warrior was subjected to an examination of their soul by the islands greatest Shaman. Ryu was chosen to have the purest of hearts, but because he was the Dragon elders son, the other tribe warriors harbored contempt for him. Ryus father was suspected of favoritism, and so Hinote, the Fire tribes greatest warrior, challenged Ryu to battle the three of them, one on one. The matches were held in secret, in the islands underground colosseum. To make each battle fair, Ryu was allowed to use only his ability of flight against Kuuchuu, his flames against Hinote and his quaking ability against Sumo. Ryu endured all three battles, and was about to be declared victor, but instead, he insisted that all three matches be declared a draw. This act of humility was what slowly earned the dragon warrior his peers' respect. However, all that changed on the night he had rushed off the island to rescue Luigi and Mario, despite his honest intention to return once he had secured the brothers. When he began to fly his way back home, however, he found himself caught in a storm of Bob-ombs from the sky. Still he tried to make his way to the island, but the closer he drew to his home, the heavier the shower of Bob-ombs became. Just when the Island was in view, the Bob-ombs were joined by lightning and hordes of Magikoopas. Not wanting to lead his enemies to his fellow Yoshis, Ryu was forced to turn back and flee. But then, once Ryu had finished his story, his father revealed something that topped everything else that had happened. According to him, and several other Yoshis who had seen Ryu flying back to the island, there never was any such storm or Magikoopas..._

* * *

End of flashback.

* * *

Jenso was still trying to get a hold on the whole thing in his mind, when suddenly, one by one, Ronin unlocked the cell doors.

"Lord Fawful has extended a generous invitation. Single file, to the underground Colosseum. NOW!"

As the disguised warrior spoke, he connected the chains of all the prisoners into one, connected line, keeping them from moving any more than a certain distance from one another. The entrance to the underground prison opened, and one by one, Jenso, Ryu and his fellow Yoshis trudged up the stairs into the night. Long minutes later, they came to a large, fairly out-of-place boulder. Ronin pushed it aside, and it was revealed to be the entrance to another staircase leading underground. There were bright lights illuminating this tunnel, however, leaving the prisoners temporarily blinded from being exposed to such bright lights so suddenly. When their eyes finally adjusted, they saw Fawful hovering over a groaning, semi-conscious Bowser. Circling around the moaning king of Koopas were Beldam and Marilyn, mumbling an eerie incantation. All of the prisoners, save Ryu and Jenso, wore a look of forced indifference to mask their fear. Ryu's face wore a look of a different, overwhelming emotion; hatred. As the prisoners absorbed the sight before them, Fawful's high-pitched voice filled the Colosseum.

"Welcome, noble warriors and elders of the Island of Yoshis! Tonight, you shall witness the sauce of the pasta which is our plan for domination!"

The hovering bean-like creature threw back his hands, throwing back his cape for emphasis.

"YOU SHALL HAVE THE HONOR OF BEING THE FIRST TO WITNESS THE REVIVAL OF OUR NEWEST, GREATEST PAWN! THE RETURN OF THE KING OF KOOPAS! BOWSER!"

* * *

One last time, the scene transfers to the Mushroom Kingdom, to the HQ of the Resistance.

* * *

At that moment, Wario, who was currently resting in his chambers, was awakened by Toadsworth bursting in.

"Master Wario! Come quickly! We require your strength!"

Groggily, the yellow and purple clad Italian righted himself, and followed the elderly Toad through the warp pipe leading up above. After walking through a particularly thick grove of trees, they stopped on the edge of the forest, arriving at a beach. Wario's eyes widened at the sight before him. Bobbery, Vivian, Bow, Bombette, Goombella and about a dozen Tanoombas, Spear Guys and Mountain Toads were all trying to push an enormous ship into the ocean.

"How long have we had this ship here?"

Toadsworth led the mustached treasure hunter closer to the ship as he answered.

"Acquiring this ship was actually due to a stroke of pure luck. It washed up onto shore days ago. The original plan of action in aiding the Yoshis was to use this ship, but Elvin grew impatient, and so we sent him instead. We've had to make several minor repairs, and it is now fully restored. Since our last attempt to sneak in stealthily was less than fruitful, we have decided to take a more direct approach via the ship. However, we've come across a slight setback."

Toadsworth had now walked to the port side of the ship, placing a hand against its hull.

"We can't push it back into water."

Understanding now why he was needed, Wario took his arm out of it's sling and rolled up his sleeves.

"Alright then. Everyone step back."

After everyone had given him some room, the chubby treasure hunter went to work. Inch by inch, the huge vessel crept forward along the beach. Once he had pushed it up to the wet sand, the going was faster, until the bow of the ship caught in the small rocks in the first layer of water. Unwilling to quit, Wario backed up a few dozen feet, and charged forward, ramming into stern of the ship with amazing force, pushing it over the rocky waters and into the sea.

"Boats ready. Now let's get moving."

Toadsworth smiled at Wario's work, as everyone climbed aboard the mighty vessel. Bobbery was going over the route one last time before taking his place at the wheel.

"If we travel at top speed, we should arrive at dawn."

And with that, they set off...


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Nightmares

The scene is reset to Mobius, where we see Sonic, running, in a dark, unknown place.

* * *

_Sonic ran, searching desperately through the darkness for any signs of life. He kept hearing screams for help, every one of them familiar to him. Yet, no matter how fast he ran, he was always met with the same thing. The bloodied corpse of a friend, even a rival. As his journey dragged on and on, the list of dead grew longer and longer._

_"The babylon rogues, Jet... Wave... Storm..."_

_Sonic could hear the cruel, taunting cackle of Robotnik as he rushed toward yet another cry for help._

_"Mighty... Charmy... Vector..."_

_The stress was threatening to push him to the edge of insanity. He was about to check Tails' lab to see if the young fox was alright, when a cry which he had hoped not to hear pierced his sensitive ears. He shouted back, as he sprinted full pelt toward the voice of..._

_"AMY!"_

_Sonic smashed into a Mech that was about to fire its gun at the frightened pink hedgehog. Sonic ignored the horde of machines behind him, turning to Amy._

_"S-sonic... I-I t-tried to stop them... B-but they shot me with s-something... I-I can't move..."_

_The blue hedgehog looked around to see the mutilated corpses of Cream, her Chao, Cheese, her mother, Vanilla, and Big. The speedy heros eyes were smoldering with anger, oblivious to the warning Amy was shouting at him._

_"SONIC! BEHIND YOU!"_

_Even with the sound of hundreds of bullets being fired out of the Mechs' guns, his eyes remained transfixed on the blood of his friends, the smolders of anger turning into flames of rage. Just as the bullets were about to strike, Sonic let out a bloodcurdling yell. There was an explosion, a flash of bright light, then... nothing._

* * *

The setting suddenly changes to Sonics underground cell, in the Mushroom Kingdom.

* * *

Sonic sat bolt upright, gasping for air, his vision blurry. He whipped his head around, looking for any sign of Amy, instead finding a figure dressed in the white garments of a doctor. Still dazed, he felt the doctor's hands rest his head back down onto a pillow. Suddenly, the blue hedgehogs memory clicked back into his head, and he sat upright again, trying to get his eyes to focus. He heard the doctors voice before he saw his face, and he recognized both immediately.

"Well, you haven't changed a bit. Not surprising, of course, considering it's only been about a day since I left."

"Aren't you a bit old to be playing operation, plumber?"

Mario's mustache failed to conceal his grin as Sonic unconsciously swung his legs down off his fold-out wooden bed, and stood upright. It was then that the blue hedgehog realized the pain he had been experiencing in his legs was gone. He looked up at his portly former rival with a look of amazement.

"How did you know...?"

"When I arrived, Koops told me that you had been locked up, and that the doctors thought something was wrong with your knees. I gave you a heavy sedative, and went to work."

"Well, thanks. How long until I can run?"

The mustached Italian raised an eyebrow at his blue companions question, and Sonic rephrased.

"You know, speed of sound and all that?"

"Well, I'd say about 20 hours."

The speedy hero sighed, leaning back against the stone walls of his cell.

"Well then, can you get me out of here?"

At that moment, the tall figure of Koops was appeared in front of the cell door, and the lone Koopa opened the cell, leaving Sonic confused.

"What about Wario and..?"

"Come with me, Mr. Hedgehog. Mario and I have to check on Kolorado anyway. I'll find you something to eat, and fill you in."

Not wanting to spend another minute in a prison cell, the spine-covered Mobian hero nodded, and walked with his two allies out of the dreary underground prison.

* * *

Once more, the scene shifts, showing us the revered underground Colosseum of Yoshis Island.

* * *

The chanting of the two Shadow Sirens grew louder and louder, their circling of Bowser's groaning body steady and paced. Fawful hovered above the comatose Koopa King, speaking ominously.

"I am having a slight weakness of the nerves. Thinking the thought of what I must do gives my stomach the queasiness. But my resolve must not fail if we are to have our revenge!"

The caped villain dropped to the ground, carefully removed his headgear, and stood upon Bowser's belly, his eyes to the ceiling, as he uttered an incantation which echoed throughout the colosseum. Suddenly, Fawful's body went limp, falling to the floor, motionless. A dark aura began to envelope the incapacitated Lord of Koopas, his body becoming discolored. His emerald green shell and yellow skin became a shaded violet, his horns, spikes, belly and face transformed into the tinted gray of twilight. His fiery red mane and eyebrows turned pitch black, and his mane stood on end, giving it a look akin to a mohawk. The shadow sirens ceased their chanting, and then vanished, leaving Ronin, Jenso and the Yoshis alone with the transforming Bowser. Finally, his eyes opened, entirely a crimson red, complete with all too familiar spirals.

"**WE HAVE FURY!**"

An instant after Fawfuls famous battle cry left the lips of Bowsers body, Ronin snapped every link of the chains holding Jenso, Ryu and the other Yoshis together, freeing them. The enigmatic warrior faced the newly born monster as he spoke to his allies who had only just moments ago been his prisoners.

"Jenso, you, Ryu, Kuuchuu, Hinote, Sumo and the Elders get to the surface. Wake up the island, and begin the evacuation. I don't know what might happen if your people don't escape quickly."

Ryu and Jenso nodded, seeming to be already familiar with the plan, though Ryus fellow warriors and tribe elders disagreed. Even the young black Yoshis father seemed doubtful.

"Son, are you certain we can believe his word? He had kept us bound in chains until just now!"

Ryu regarded his father with all the sincerity in his pure heart in his response.

"Father, Ronin is our ally. He told us about Fawful and helped us plan out how to evacuate in case something like this happened."

* * *

Flashback to early yesterday morning.

* * *

_Jenso was leaning against the wall of the prison hall, somewhat disbelieving of Ronin's word. Ryu had been the only one to speak to their mysterious informant. _

_"So, this guy called Fawful, he's in charge of the operation on this island?"_

_Ronin nodded gravely, but Jenso was still not completely trusting. _

_"How did you know of the pact I made with Ryu when we first infiltrated?"_

_Ronin calmly replied, keeping an air of a true warrior._

_"My ears are far more sensitive than that of a human, or even a Yoshi. I was one of the guards who stopped you from entering without being questioned first. I could easily hear your discussion from my position."_

_"If you can do all that by yourself, why are you telling us this?"_

_For a brief moment, the skilled fighter was silent, then answered ominously._

_"To complete my tiresome quest of redemption..."_

* * *

End of flashback.

* * *

The Dragon tribe elder hesitated momentarily, then smiled proudly at his son, and turned, ready to support him through all hardships.

"My friends! Tonight, we feast upon the flesh of those who have imprisoned us!"

Jenso recoiled at this exclamation, but the younger Yoshi warriors, including Ryu, rallied behind it. The other elders simply smiled, knowing that it was only one of many rallies in the Dragon elders repertoire. Regardless, all of them, including Jenso, rushed out of the Colosseum, leaving Ronin to deal with whatever monstrosity Fawful had created alone.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Unforeseen Obstacles

The setting returns us to Mobius, where we see Knuckles back at the ruins where he left his two companions.

* * *

Knuckles inspected the ground carefully, looking for any sign of Tails' tracks. Being an expert tracker, he noticed the sloppy cover-up job that Tails had done before leaving.

_'Good work, kid. Keeping yourself safe even when I'm not around. Still...'_

The guardian of the Master Emerald looked to the sky, his sensitive nose easily picking up Luigi's scent.

_'The stench of sewer water our friend in green picked up is unmistakable. Judging from the direction, you must have been heading for... the Ice Cap Zone?'_

The echidna warrior was confused by this information, unsure of why the young fox would be going towards such a potentially dangerous Zone. Shrugging, he scaled up the side of a large cliff, leapt into the air, and began gliding over the ruins, following the repugnant smell on Luigi's clothes.

_'I can't get distracted. I need to get the emerald from Tails, and return to Angel Island as quickly as possible.'_

* * *

Our attention is averted away from the stubborn echidna and his search for his companions, to the underground Colosseum, where we see Ronin preparing for battle.

* * *

Ronin, piece by piece, began to shed his armored disguise. As he did so, the body of Dark Bowser, controlled by Fawful stood, growling as it spoke angrily.

"**Traitor you are,** **Ronin! Punished you must be! For annihilation, prepare now!**"

"Your threats are empty and meaningless, Fawful. Return the body you stole from the one known as Bowser and depart. Else I shall be forced to take action against you."

The monstrous, newly transformed Fawful laughed, though Ronin, who's face was now only hidden from view by his cloak which he wore at the bar, was unfazed in the slightest.

"**YOU, take action against ME? Underestimate my power greatly, you do! Lesson, you must be taught!**"

The Fawful-minded Dark Bowser charged toward the his former soldier, his mouth flaring with black flames, his claws gleaming in the bright light of the Colosseum, lashing out as he came within striking distance. However, in an instant, Robin was able to dash around his opponent, grab a spike on his shell, and heave him over his shoulder into the ground. Quietly, Ronin stood, expecting to hear Fawful's surrender. Instead, he was slightly taken aback by the villains near-immediate recovery, his laughter once again echoing off the Colosseum walls.

"**Amazing, this new power is! I barely felt any pain! Truly, this body is the icing upon the cake of our vengeance!**"

With this exclamation of incredulity, Ronins enemy whipped his body around, striking the unguarded fighter with a mighty blow of his fist. Ronin was sent flying into the stone wall of the Colosseum, causing portions of the ceiling to crack and fall over him. As the falling boulders slowed to a halt, the villains cruel laugh again echoed throughout the underground battlefield of ancient times.

"**For the final moments of your life, you, and all of my victims shall refer to me as Fawser!**"

However, Fawser, as was the villains official new name, ceased his laughter as the boulders were all scattered in multiple directions from a single, powerful blow of Ronins fist. Lowering his arm to his side again, the great warrior gazed calmly at his foe, undaunted by his momentary assault. Growling, Fawser gave an angry roar, charging with unexpected speed toward his enemy.

"**FINK-RAT!**"

* * *

Meanwhile, on the surface...

* * *

"You alright, Jenso?"

Jenso's eyes were barely open, responding to Ryu's question as he violently shook his head to stay awake.

"I'm fine. Just a little sleepy. Let's keep moving."

Ryu shrugged, continuing to follow his father, with Jenso close behind. After leaving the Colosseum, they had decided to split up into three teams, one of Ryu, Jenso and the Dragon tribe elder, one of the young tribe warriors and one of the other tribe elders. The plan was to signal with a large stream of flame from a fire-breathing Yoshi once a team had liberated a portion of the islands populace. The team would then move toward the meeting place where the Tribe elders and warriors met in cases of emergencies. Jenso had not taken part in developing this plan, but he agreed to go along with it, partially because he felt that it was not his place to speak on the subject, but mostly because he was too tired to give it much thought. Now, though, the orange clad hero was beginning to feel the effects of two consecutive sleepless nights.

_'Have to.. stay awake.. just.. a little longer!'_

* * *

We shift our attention away from Yoshis Island, and the scene changes to show us the ship of the Resistance.

* * *

The bow of the mighty vessel cut through the waters, Bobbery's skilled hand guiding the huge ship with masterful precision. They sailed peacefully, unchallenged by an enemies, which made Wario, who was patrolling on the deck, somewhat anxious.

_'This is too easy. Why hasn't that damn turtle freak sent any flunkies to attack us yet? Even that pea-brain should be able to anticipate an assault on an Island by sea.'_

As he was pondering this, Toadsworth came up from below deck, joining the chubby treasure hunter.

"Evening, Master Wario. How are your injuries?"

"Not too bad. I mean, this is nothing compared to what I've had to go through. It's just an arm, after all."

Empathetic of what Wario meant by his statement, Toadsworth nodded courteously, moving up to the bow as Wario continued his pacing and his thoughts.

"How is our progress, Master Bobbery?"

The mustached brown bob-omb responded with complete confidence, as only a master sailor can.

"We have had good fortune so far, sir. There is a moderate wind in the sails and the water is calm."

"Very good, Master Bobbery. I can only hope that we-"

The elderly toad's reply was cut short by a sudden halting of the ship, having been caught upon an unseen obstacle. Looking over the edge, Bobbery was taken completely off guard by what he saw.

"ICE?! Impossible! I don't believe this!"

From the deck below, Wario solemnly thought to himself as two dark, violet figures materialized before him.

_'I do.'_

* * *

Once again, the setting is altered, showing us the underground HQ of the Resistance.

* * *

Sonic was eating a serving of pasta in the room he had shared with Mario the night before the night mission to Toad Town, being filled in fully on the situation by Koops when Mario entered from Kolorados chambers, having completed his check up. Turning toward his old rival, the blue hedgehog questioned the portly plumber as he hung his white lab coat, sitting with his companions.

"How did your search go? Any success?"

The tired Italian held up his hand to signal for quiet, then got up again, hanging up his doctors equipment and returning his signature red hat to his head as he answered.

"Yes, I did find a few of my old friends. But they may not be as welcoming of you as Koops, so I'd rather you not meet them right now. Besides, they're all exhausted and resting in their chambers anyway."

Sonic smiled, shaking his head before turning back to Koops.

"Sorry for the interruption."

Koops smiled empathetically and nodded, continuing where he left off, with Mario listening intently from just outside as he changed back into his overalls and red T-shirt.

"So, anyway, Goombella, Bow, Bombette, Bobbery, Vivian, Toadsworth and Wario all took the ship, taking only a small squadron of Spear Guys, Mountain Toads and Tanoombas. The reason they're so eager to get to the island now is because the guy in charge of whatever operations are taking place there, some kind of weird, caped bean-looking guy, seems to have found whatever he's looking for on the island. We don't know what it is he found, but if he's affiliated with Bowser, it can't be anything good."

Before Sonic could respond, Mario was already back in the room, his overalls not even securely buttoned, a horrified look in his eyes. The portly plumbers voice was unusually somber as he spoke.

"Caped.. bean-like creature?"

After long moments of tensed silence, Mario rushed out of the room, bolting for the storage/supplies room. Perplexed, Koops and Sonic followed, unaware of what was going through the red clad Italians mind. Screeching to a halt, Mario opened the door to storage with a loud crash, fumbling inside before rushing back out, past Sonic and Koops, carrying a yellow cape and a particularly stinky bulb of garlic.

"You stay here. I'll see what's up."

Before Koops could answer, Sonic was gone, running after his former rival as he leapt down the warp pipe leading to the surface. Jumping out of the pipe, Sonic dashed up the tunnels beneath the enormous tree above them, cutting off his old companion before he could reach the surface.

"Get out of my way, Sonic! I have to get to Yoshis Island! None of them know what they're getting themselves into! I'm going to grab Wario and storm through Fawful's defenses right NOW!"

Mario pushed past Sonic, only to be stopped again as the fast-footed hero grabbed the red clad plumbers shoulder.

"Mario! That is a rash, hot-headed and extremely dangerous thing to do!"

With a gleam in his eye, the blue hedgehog grinned mischievously.

"Count me in."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Escalation

We resume our tale once again, to see the surface of Yoshi's Island, where the sirens have been set off by an ominous quake emanating from the underground Colosseum.

* * *

Ryu ducked into the underbrush as Koopatrols, Clubbas, Parakoopas carrying searchlights, and Monty moles rushed by. All of them were moving towards the same place on the island, where the quakes seemed to be originating from. Once the last of them passed, Ryu stepped out of his cover, his mind preoccupied by a single question as he moved into another prison structure to help free his fellow Yoshis.

_'Ronin, what the hell are you doing down there?'_

* * *

The scene shifts again, showing us the strange events taking place in the underground Colosseum.

* * *

Ronin, for the first time in many years, was at a loss of what to do. Moments ago, he had been fighting the body of Dark Bowser with the mind of Fawful, but then his battle was abruptly halted. Fawser, as was the creatures self-appointed name, stopped in the middle of charging his enemy, his claws clutching his head. The villain was writhing in pain, lashing out randomly and without focus, ramming into the stone walls, clawing at the floors. What Ronin couldn't have possibly known, however, was what was occurring within the fused beasts mind. Bowser's consciousness was battling Fawful's for control of his body, leaving Fawser without a conscious mind to control it's actions. The force of the random attacks increased with each blow, and the Colosseum's ceiling was threatening to cave in as a consequence. The cracks in the stone walls grew wider and larger, until finally the ceiling began to fall in small pieces. Realizing what had happened, Fawful angrily withdrew his consciousness back into his original body, escaping through the exit with his headgear, leaving Ronin to deal with the collapsing Colosseum. Slowly, Bowser's body returned to normal, and the King of Koopas groggily looked around.

"Wha-?"

Bowser turned, hearing Ronin's footsteps as he rushed through the exit.

"Who-?"

Feeling a large boulder fall on his spiked shell, the Koopa King looked up to see the ceiling fully caving in above him.

"Aw, crud."

* * *

We are returned to the surface, where we see a mass panic among Fawful's minions, unaware that their master has already left them on the island, heading for an unknown destination.

* * *

All of the minions were shouting and yelling, running around in panic as the ground beneath them threatened to swallow and crush them under thousands of tons of stone and earth. It wasn't until several minutes had passed and the dust had settled, that they slowly re-organized themselves and surrounded the newly formed crater. From within their ranks, a blue robed Magikoopa flew down closer to inspect it, then shouted up his orders.

"Monty's! Get down here and start digging!"

The moles had barely taken their first swipe and the dirt, however, when everyone's attention was averted towards Ronin, emerging from having smashed his way through the debris to the surface. Suspicious of anything that could survive a cave-in of such magnitude, the Koopatrols and Clubbas quickly surrounded Ronin as he dusted off his cloak. For a moment, the only sound that could be heard was the nervous breathing of the minions as Ronin looked up from his cloak, the sirens having ceased. Calmly, the mysterious warrior raised up his hands before speaking.

"I feel that you should know, there's something else that you should concern yourselves with far more than me."

Angrily, the blue Magikoopa flew up to Ronin, shouting into his face.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"

The furious magically capable Koopa had to wait only an instant for the answer, for just then, from all sides, the tribe elders, along with Ryu, Kuuchuu, Hinote, Sumo and Jenso all came charging towards the horde surrounding Ronin, with the majority of the islands population of Yoshis following in their wake. Smirking beneath the hood of his disguise, Ronin jokingly commented on the situation.

"I mean that hundreds of flying, fire-breathing, earth-shaking natives have a yearning to 'discuss' their imprisonment with you and your companions."

With that, Ronin yanked the Magikoopa's broom out from under him and knocked the blue-robed Koopa out cold with it before joining the fight.

* * *

Our attention is turned back to Mario and Sonic, who, with the convincing of Koops, have decided against joining Wario and instead taking another try at infiltrating the island via the warp pipe in the Toad Town tunnels.

* * *

Sonic grabbed two Koopas and rammed them against one another. The number of guards had more than quadrupled after their last attempt to infiltrate the underground warp pipes. The blue hedgehog grinned regardless, because this attempt didn't involve sneaking around, but instead smashing through anything and anyone who got in their way. Sonic smirked, sidestepping a Charging Chuck and grabbing its helmets face guard and slamming the buff Koopa into the ground. Five Dino Rhinos charged him at once, but were sent flying backwards through the air by the blue hero's Sonic Wind technique. Wrapping his arm around a Magikoopas neck, the fast-footed hedgehog shouted down the warp pipe.

"YO, PLUMBER! YOU FINISHED DOWN THERE YET?"

An echoed response was shouted back up as Sonic twisted the Magikoopas neck and let the body fall limp to the ground.

"ALL CLEAR, HEDGEHOG! WRAP IT UP ON YOUR END AND LET'S MOVE!"

"WILL DO!"

The blue hedgehog leapt up on the rim of the warp pipe to the Toad Town tunnels, ramming his elbow into the last Koopa trying to attack him from behind before jumping down to join Mario. Stepping over wilting Piranha Plants, Sonic rushed into the chamber with the warp pipe to Yoshis Island. Mario leapt down the pipe as soon as he saw that his old rival was behind him, and Sonic jumped down after him.

* * *

We shift our eyes away from the duo of Mario and Sonic, the scene showing us the battle between Wario and Vivian's two sisters.

* * *

Wario heaved with all his might, forcing the overweight Marilyn off of him, rolling to the side as Beldam attacked with an ice spell. Bobbery made a motion as if to join in the fight, but the chubby treasure hunter shouted at the old sailor.

"Keep out of this! I have a score to settle with these two witches!"

Bobbery looked to Toadsworth for his orders, but the elderly toad simply stood by, watching the fight intently. Regaining his feet, Wario charged forward with alarming speed, driving his powerful fist into Beldams stomach before the shadow siren could react. Marilyn moved to slam her huge body into Wario, but the angry Italian was too quick, gripping Beldam's arm and heaving her into Marilyn's hefty gut. Snorting, Wario moved to toss them overboard, but was swiftly halted by Beldams freezing ice magic. Struggling to free his body, Wario was helpless as Marilyn beat on him with punches infused with her thunder magic.

"MASTER WARIO!"

Toadsworth and Bobbery rushed to aid their friend, but instead ran headlong into a thick wall of ice. The old toad pounded against the ice, and the mustached sailor exploded repeatedly trying to break it, but to no avail. On the other side, Marilyn continued pummeling Wario almost into a coma, the skin around his right eye swelling and his face turning black and blue with bruises. The ice surrounding him disappeared, his body now completely paralyzed by Marilyn's thunder magic, laying unmoving on the wooden deck of the ship. An eerie cackle emanated from the two shadow sirens, though their lips did not move, the cruel laughter growing in volume as an extremely sharp ice dagger materialized in Beldam's hand. Wario glared, frustrated that he had been overconfident a second time, watching as Beldam raised the dagger high overhead, bringing it down with a killers swiftness towards the mustached treasure hunters heart. At the same instant the frozen blade penetrated his overalls and tee shirt, there was a long pause. Curious, Wario peeked with his left eye, and, to his surprise, the shadow sirens were shivering, their gaze seeing something behind him that he could not. With a high pitched shriek, the two sisters vanished, causing the ice wall keeping Toadsworth from Wario to dissipate. Rushing to aid the battered chubby anti-hero, Toadsworth looked suspiciously at the spot where Beldam and Marilyn had been only moments before, wondering what could have possibly scared them off.

* * *

One last time, the setting shows us again the battle taking place between the Yoshi's and Fawful's underlings.

* * *

As the epic battle between the prisoners and those who had imprisoned continued, everyone failed to notice something causing a light tremble beneath the rubble of the Colosseum cave-in. No one noticed the next one, either, the tremble that was stronger than the first, unheard, drowned out by the sounds of the huge battle. It wasn't until the third tremor, when the boulders and debris which used to be the ceiling of the Colosseum, began to move, as if something was lifting the debris to escape, that the first bystander noticed the rumbling. It quickly became ten times more powerful than the earlier quakes, shaking most of the island, finally causing the battle to cease altogether. The remnants of the caved-in Colosseum were simultaneously scattered in all directions by a single, dark fist. Slowly, the creatures body rose up out of the ground, towering like a mountain over all the islands inhabitants. For a single moment, the world seemed to stop moving at the incredulity of the moment, and, as the moment passed, the monster unleashed a terrifyingly powerful roar.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Out of Control

The scene is set on Yoshis Island, where we see an enormous, dark Bowser looming over the inhabitants.

* * *

Terrified for their lives, Fawful's minions stampeded away to escape the island as Bowser's new form unleashed another bloodcurdling roar. All but one blue-robed Magikoopa, having been awakened by the monster's roars, remained amongst the Yoshis, Ronin and Jenso. Even as the elder tribe Yoshis shouted orders to flee, the Magikoopa grabbed the remnants of his broom, sailing up into the air so he was hovering directly in front of the transformed Koopa King's wild eyes.

"BOWSER! MY KING! IT IS I, KAMEK! I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR YOU ALL THIS TIME!"

The super-sized King of Koopas ceased his cry, pausing for an instant, gazing at his loyalest of servants, his mind trying to connect the name with the face. All too soon, the moment passed, and the monstrosity lashed out at his former minion. Kamek was prepared for this, however, pulling off an impressive display of agility, dodging the attack and speeding downward until he was flying along the ground, coming up alongside Ronin, Jenso and Ryu.

"RONIN, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED DOWN THERE?! IS FAWFUL STILL CONTROLLING HIM?!"

The enigmatic warrior was at a loss for an explanation, though Kamek was not, giving the best explanation he could as they fled.

"If Fawful's involvement in this disaster is as you say, I fear the worst for my King. Fawful used to be an inhabitant of Bean Bean Kingdom, where all the people have bean colored skin. Fawful used to be like any other inhabitant, aside from his evil ways. It was not so long ago that the fiend tricked my King as a part of his ploy to gain the powers of the Dark Star. However, thanks to the noble efforts of lord Bowser, he only partially succeeded, unable to fully absorb the Dark Stars energies. However, as a side effect of my Kings less.. thought out actions, the Dark Star was, for a time, inside his body. When I heard this after my lord had apparently destroyed the Dark Star, which had taken on his form, I was concerned of the after effects of such evil energies roaming within my lords body. My concerns dwindled over time, until now. Fawful somehow returned, with the part of the Dark Star's power that he had absorbed intact. If the fiend has truly been inside my masters body, along with the extreme danger of the cave-in, it would explain this transformation. You see, due to the… unusual circumstances of his birth, whenever lord Bowser is in a situation which is extremely fatal, his body activates a failsafe of sorts. When my King's body is incapable of surviving, the power of a demonic entity is unleashed, transforming him into a Giga Bowser. In this form, his mind shuts down entirely, and his actions are driven more by instinct than conscious thought. But this transformation is far worse, because of the residual energy of the Dark Star which remains within my lords mind and body. I know the true Bowser is fighting to regain control, as he does every time he transforms into Giga Bowser, but this time, he won't be able to do it alone. Truly, he has taken on the form of Obelisk!"

Suddenly, Ryu stopped, grabbing Kameks robe at the same time, causing his broom to fall to the ground ahead of him.

"WHY IS IT THAT YOU CAN REMEMBER WHO YOUR TRUE MASTER IS, BUT NOT ONE OF HIS OTHER MINIONS CAN?!"

Kamek sighed.

"When Fawful returned, he used his method of brainwashing my Kings servants again. I, however, was prepared this time, having set up magical safeguards against such methods of takeover. I am, and always shall be, loyal only to Lord Bowser."

Ryu growled, throwing Kamek further ahead before turning to face the oncoming Obelisk Bowser, standing alone amongst his kin, until Ronin, having turned back around, gripped Ryu and dragged him away from the oncoming creature. Suddenly, the monsters huge hand crashed into the ground, wrapping around an orange clad figure.

"JENSO!"

Struggling, the mustached hero blacked out as he was brutally squeezed to death before being thrown down and crashing into the ground. Ryu broke free of his Ronin's grip, rushing over to his fallen friend.

"NO, NO!"

Ronin walked over as Ryu lifted Jenso from the ground, his eyes starting to water. Then, absurdly, something completely out of place broke the moment; snoring.

"He's ASLEEP?!"

Angrily, Ryu threw the dreaming Jenso at Ronin, who was laughing uncontrollably as he caught him.

"What're YOU laughing at?"

Stifling himself, Ronin rushed back to the fleeing Yoshis, who themselves were following the cowardly minions, the last of which were jumping down the warp pipe leading to the mainland. Ryu leapt into the air, flying overhead, gazing towards the horizon to see the grayish glow of twilight before dawn.

* * *

Momentarily, we avert our attention from the horrors unfolding on Yoshis Island, showing us a consequence of Obelisk Bowsers rampage, showing us Mario and Sonic, having paused on their way through the warp pipe to Yoshis Island.

* * *

"Wait… You hear that?"

Mario looked back at his blue companion, wondering what his sensitive ears had picked up.

"I don't hear anything. What does it sound like?"

Sonic focused himself on the sound again, listening in both directions of the warp pipe for the sound again.

"I'm not totally sure, but it kinda sounds like… running water."

Mario's face turned pale, looking towards the direction they had come, then towards the direction they were heading.

"Coming or going?"

"It's coming from where WE'RE going."

Mario closed his eyes, listening for the sound intently. Had the mustached Italian been closer to the point where the pipe made a sharp right angle to the surface of Yoshis Island, he would know that the powerful tremors caused by the rampant Bowser had created a crack in the pipe. Normally, such a fault wouldn't have concerned the experienced plumber, except for the fact that the particular warp pipe he and Sonic were using to reach the island was mostly underwater, and even the tiniest crack would mean instant flooding. Opening his eyes, Mario turned back the way they had come, urging Sonic to follow.

"Come on. We're going back."

The blue hedgehog was about to ask why, when suddenly the sound of the running water became ten times louder, and a cascade of ocean exploded towards them at an alarming rate. Sonic cried out as he sped away, leaving Mario far behind in his panic.

"I! HATE! WATER!"

A second before Mario was overtaken by the powerful flood, he inhaled all the air that he could, letting his body go limp as he was caught in the eruption of water. The cascade exploded up into the Toad Town tunnels half an instant after Sonic jumped out of the warp pipe. The geyser-like eruption of water crashed against the ceiling of the underground tunnels, spitting out an unconscious Mario onto the floor. The water level quickly began to rise as the blue hedgehog heaved his former rival onto his shoulder, talking more to himself as he sped for the exit.

"You're a real pain in the ass, y'know that, plumber?"

Sprinting as fast as he dared, the fast-footed hero leapt down the warp pipe leading to the surface an instant before the pipe behind him shattered, unleashing the full force of the flood. Sonic landed back on the surface, running for a place to hole up while Mario recovered, knowing that it would be morning soon and that he would be seen if he tried to run all the way back to the base. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he found himself in front of a creepy looking mansion. Not one to be frightened by haunted houses, he walked inside, resting his old friend and rival down on a couch, taking a seat himself in an easy chair. It was only a few moments later that Mario awoke, rubbing a bloody bump on his head as he sat up.

"Sonic?"

"Right here. It's a good thing you're awake. You can introduce me to our 'hosts'."

Standing up and putting his hat back on his head, the mustached plumber groaned when he saw what Sonic was referring to.

"Broozers. Wonderful…"

Dozens of the boxing glove equipped ghosts encircled the two rivals, forcing them back to back.

"Sorry about all this crap, hedgehog."

The blue hero smirked as he replied.

"Don't be silly, plumber. I'm itching for some exercise anyway."

* * *

We turn our attention back to Yoshis Island, where the flooded warp pipes have left the islands populace unable to escape from Obelisk Bowser.

* * *

The four elders hollered for their tribes to follow, running fearfully towards the mountains of the island as Obelisk Bowser pursued. With only seconds to spare, the four elders uttered an ancient chant in unison as the last of the Yoshis ran into the mountainous center of the island. Just as their tormentor lunged forward to attack, the islands entire population vanished. Enraged, Obelisk Bowser ran on all fours towards the villages, clawing and burning everything in sight. Confused, Ryu's kin murmured amongst themselves until Ryu's father spoke up, explaining what had occurred.

"Please, everyone, remain calm! We have set up a barrier which our ancestors created as a safeguard for true emergencies! The beast cannot hear us, see us nor smell us while we remain hidden in the mountains!"

The crowd immediately erupted into a mixture of crying from children, shouting from parents and arguing about what to do. Amongst all the noise, there were several which stood out to all, for the cries weren't originating from within the crowd. They were coming from somewhere _outside_ the barrier. Obelisk Bowser turned his attention from the villages towards the screams, walking slowly towards the source of the sound. Several parents heard their children's voices from outside, and they rushed to be reunited with them, but were all halted by Ryu's father, standing between them and the outer limits of the barrier.

"No! You must remain here! I'll see to it that your children are returned to you safely!"

With that, Ryu's father took to the air, racing the slow-moving Obelisk Bowser, horrified to find the children trapped within the burning forest, the smoke suffocating them as their screams grew weaker. It was at this point that Obelisk Bowser saw the dragon tribe elder flying over him, and clawed in the air for him. Realizing the monster had to be diverted, Ryu's father released a powerful stream of flames into the creatures eyes, temporarily blinding him. Taking advantage of the precious time he had bought, the dragon elder landed near the edge of the forest. Wasting no time, he gritted his teeth as he moved flaming trees out of his way, using his wings to clear the smoke. He quickly found the children, and held two under his arms, helping the other two onto his back. Keeping his wings spread, he dashed out of the fire, leaping high into the air once he was out, flying over Obelisk Bowser's head as the monster began to regain his vision. Landing with the children in hand near the safety of the barrier, Ryu's father returned the children to their parents and felt the danger had passed when he heard one last child crying from somewhere on the island. With only seconds left until Obelisk Bowsers eyesight was fully restored, Ryu's father sped of towards the cry, finding a child dragon Yoshi still too young to fly hanging from a ledge on the side of a mountain, outside of the barrier. Ryu, having recognized the voice, quickly came up behind his father, at the same time Obelisk Bowser had regained his sight and charging on all fours towards the mountain. Ryu sped past his father, grabbing the young Yoshi and circling around onto the ledge. Ryu's father followed to bring them back, but as he drew closer, he saw that Obelisk Bowser was leaping up to attack his son. With swiftness driven out of love for Ryu, the dragon tribe elder rocketed forward, crashing into his son and the young Yoshi, forcing them out of harms way. Sadly, it was too late for Ryu's father to escape, all too quickly being crushed between the mountain and Obelisk Bowsers gigantic body. Rolling safely to a stop on the ground below, Ryu was unable to believe what had happened all within a single second, falling to his knees as a rockslide came crashing down over Obelisk Bowser. Time slowed to a crawl, everything around Ryu was surreal. He was vaguely aware of a child's voice begging him to stand up, his eyes completely blank, his expression that of one in complete and total shock. He didn't hear the roar of Obelisk Bowser as he smashed the rocks that had fallen over him, he didn't see the monster charging forward with the intention of destruction, he didn't feel the young dragon Yoshi's body against his as the child braced for death. As he fell further onto his hands and knees, all he could hear was the mighty beating of a heart tainted by rage and hatred, all he could feel was the beating of that same heart within him and all he could see was his fathers face as he made the ultimate sacrifice for his son. He grasped his head with one of his hands, feeling the rage and hatred overtaking him, hearing the forbidden dragon roar within his heart that was beating too slow, too loudly. He saw, from within his mind, the transformation begin as Obelisk Bowser unleashed a powerful stream of flames from within his gut, he felt, from within his heart, the forbidden dragon break free, and he heard, from within his body, the bloodcurdling cry he unleashed as he transformed.

"_**SKREEYAAHH!**_"


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Forbidden Dragon

Our tale resumes, showing Sonic, alone, sitting amongst the rubble and ashes of the haunted house near Toad Town.

* * *

_'What the hell happened? I remember some weirdo leaping out at us and attacking Mario, then some kinda shadow of Mario appeared… The plumber DITCHED, taking that shadow in a body bag… Then, the mirrors appeared, and then…'_

Despite his best efforts, the blue hedgehog couldn't recall what had happened, or who had destroyed the haunted house. As he pondered the matter further, his thought process was halted by a sudden, piercing sense of a dark power, followed by an extreme chill emanating from his pouch. Reaching inside, Sonic pulled out one of the chaos emeralds, which he discovered was the source of the chill. The previously dull and grey jewel was now a pitch black, giving off a chill which the Mobian hero had never before felt.

_'Great, now I've got even bigger problems. What was that huge power I sensed? Better yet, how the hell did I sense it? Shadow's always been… always WAS best at that kind of thing, not me. And why is the emerald giving off chills, not warmth, like they usually do? And if this is the white chaos emerald, why has it turned pitch black?'_

Sonic stood up, walking away from the wreckage of the haunted house as the sun brightened the sky, as he tried to remember something Knuckles had once told him.

_'The white emerald of purity, the violet of nobility. Represented by yellow are emotions, with the turquoise a symbol of identity. The blue emerald of loyalty, the green of vigorous souls. Finally, the love symbolized by red. Together, these are the seven chaos.'_

Sonic looked up from the dark emerald, replacing it in his pouch, gradually increasing his pace.

_'Somehow, that sense of power that just hit me is telling me that I'll find the source at Yoshi Island…'_

Now running at the maximum speed his injuries would allow, the blue hedgehog sped towards the ocean to find Yoshi Island.

* * *

Leaving Sonic, we turn our attention to an unknown location in the Mushroom Kingdom, where we see an ominous-looking Mario, sitting next to a large bag.

* * *

A figure approached the mustached plumber, who stood up in response. The hero showed no surprise, but instead a childish glee, as Fawful moved into the sunlight.

"The tastiness of the bread which is the first phase of our revenge sandwich almost turned moldy. Still, the perfection of our sandwich of vengeance was preserved nonetheless!"

The portly Italian smirked as he spoke.

"Your weird way of speaking is always hilarious to listen to, slick."

"The mocking of Fawful is not a fruit which you should snack on without caution, nameless one! Unless you have the prize which the mistress demanded, both of our heads she will have!"

"Yeah, yeah, keep your cape on, slick. I got the goods, right here in this bag."

Fawful glared, opening and checking the contents of the sand colored bag before grinning widely and laughing.

"All is coming together! Let us return to the mistress, and savor the suffering our accursed red mustache shall endure!"

With that, Fawful created a portal using the portion of the Dark Star within him, following Mario through it as he carried their precious cargo.

* * *

We return to Yoshi Island, where we see an awe inspiring transformation begin.

* * *

As Obelisk Bowsers flames were almost upon the two black Yoshis, the power of the Forbidden Dragon broke free of its restraints, expelling a powerful gale of energy originating from Ryu's body, extinguishing the flames and blowing back Ryu's young companion into the air. Obelisk Bowser growled, and Ryu's young friend watched from a distance, shocked and terrified, as the incredible transformation began. Ryu's body grew over fifty times in size, his wingspan stretching longer than eighty meters. His neck lengthened to twenty meters long, the tip of his tail changing into a sharp arrowhead, the tail itself growing over fifteen meters in length. The red boots on his feet were torn and shredded entirely, with three claws, two at the front and one at his heel, protruding from each foot. His arms and legs grew much thicker with muscle, the fingertips on each of his hands replaced by claws, each a meter long, his fat snout flattening out in favor of a beaklike form. His entire body, including his white stomach, turned black, gleaming with the light of the sun peeking over the horizon, his teeth growing into fangs, the longest of which were two meters in length. Finally, the pupils of Ryu's eyes disappeared, both eyes now completely crimson red. Released at last, the fully transformed Forbidden Dragon unleashed a mighty roar, boasting its power to the world. Terrified, Ryu's young friend fled, tears streaming down his face, too scared to yell for help. Seeing the child running desperately farther away from the mountains, Hinote ran from the safety of the mountains towards the child, despite the protests of the fire tribe elder. As the sky elder looked to the sky, speaking a silent prayer, Sumo approached the earth elder.

"If I may, elder, what WAS that unholy roar? It sounds different from that the beast made earlier…"

The earth tribe elder turned to Sumo, sighing before speaking, though he talked as though he were thinking out loud, rather than to Sumo specifically.

"Unholy… How fitting a description for such a transformation."

"Transformation, elder?"

Sumo's question failed to reach the earth elder's ears, for he, as were the other elders, remembering the ancient tale of the Forbidden Dragon.

* * *

Our view of the scene changes, showing us Yoshi Island in its entirety, during a time many eons ago.

* * *

_"Long ago, this world, governed by the Koopas and Toads, was instead made up of the 'children' of five great dragons. The yellow dragon of earth, the blue dragon of sky, the red dragon of fire, the white dragon of purity and the youngest of the five, the green dragon of generosity. The five dragons created the five species of Yoshi that still live today, each made in the image of a dragon. From the earth were born the first Yoshi of the earth tribe, gifted with powerful legs able to shake the ground from whence they came. From the fiery depths of the planet arose the first Yoshi of the fire tribe, born with heat-resistant bodies and the ability to breathe the fire within their gut. From the air materialized the first Yoshi of the sky tribe, given magnificent, feathered wings with which they could master the skies. As the dragon of generosity began creating his own children, he saw the white dragon of purity struggling with a gift to give his children, the Yoshi of the dragon tribe. Without a second thought, the great green dragon bestowed his own gifts upon the children of his brother, a feather from the sky dragons wing, a small flame from the fire dragons gut and a scale of the earth dragons powerful legs, all of which had originally been intended for the generosity dragons children. Touched by his brothers gesture, the white dragon of purity took a golden star from the heavens, and called it a power star. He gave it to his green brother, telling him that it would allow his children to temporarily obtain the same gifts given to the Yoshi of the dragon tribe. So it was that the five Yoshi were born, and for a time, the world was happy. But, sadly, all happy things must come to an end. From inside the caves within which they hid, the Toads and Koopas grew tired of constantly fearing for their lives. They banded together, and many bloody battles ensued in the weeks that followed. It was all too soon that the earth, fire and sky dragons were slain, leaving only their children to remember them as they became one with this world. The pain was too much for the white dragon of purity, who, in a fit of rage, unintentionally slaughtered his younger brother, the green dragon of generosity. His pain and hatred burned even brighter when he realized he had committed the horrible deed, and his white body turned black, his eyes red with the rage and hatred which had tainted the dragons pure heart. Hence, the white dragon of purity became the black dragon of hatred, and it rampaged throughout the world, leaving suffering and sorrow wherever it went. Unable to stop the angry beast, the Koopas and Toads finally turned to the children of the dragons which they had slain, begging for their aid in saving the world from destruction. Despite the pain they had suffered, the Yoshi agreed to help, each tribe choosing the most powerful warrior in their tribe to have one final showdown with the black dragon. They found their enemy, waiting for them where the land met the sea, and an epic battle of incredible proportions began. Yet, in spite of their most earnest efforts to tame the rage within the pained dragons soul, they were at a loss, and forced to kill the last of the beloved great dragons. The battle over, a overwhelming downpour commenced, washing away the blood of those that had been killed in the long conflict. However, before drawing its last breath, the black dragon changed his children so they were also black as he was, and forced a portion of his hatred into their souls, its final words still chilling to this day. _

_"The world shall know my pain, if not through me, then through my children."_

_With this, the dragon turned to stone, drifting far out into the ocean. But the Yoshi weren't yet safe. With the news that the last of the five great dragons was dead, the Toads and Koopas began to concern themselves with the rest of the Yoshis. Forced to flee, they found a haven on the floating island which had once been the black dragon, and it was henceforth known as Yoshi Island. But, though we have lived in peace for many years since, the dragon tribe is still haunted by the black dragons curse. For, if a descendant of the dragon Yoshi which had fought his father all those eons ago should attempt to channel the power of the Forbidden Dragon within them, a portion of its power would be again unleashed unto the world. With each transformation, even if one is a father and one a son, the sons transformation will cause the greater portion of the Forbidden Dragons power to be released, should he give in to rage and hatred. The only hope is that a dragon Yoshi with a heart as pure as the black dragons, before it had been tainted, is born, that Yoshi will be able to break the curse, and channel the power of the white dragons pure heart. We have waited centuries for such a Yoshi to be born, but one has still yet to be found…"_

* * *

We are returned to the present, where Hinote has returned with Ryu's young friend.

* * *

The tribe elders all shared a knowing look with one another, the same thought going through their minds, the three of them voicing it in unison, very quietly.

"To be more powerful than Ryu's father transformation, means-"

"That Ryu must have triggered this transformation, meaning-"

"His rage, his hatred, can only have been triggered by one event."

"Ryu's father, the dragon tribe elder-"

"Has been slain."

"May the spirits of the five great dragons protect us all."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Demon VS Dragon

The scene is Yoshi Island, where the entirety of the islands populace is silent, focused on the two huge figures of Obelisk Bowser and the Forbidden Dragon.

* * *

Every bird, fish and Yoshi held their breath, as the two enormous monsters circled around one another. Both Ryu, in the form of the Forbidden Dragon, and Obelisk Bowser had their fangs bared, both challenging the other by emitting provocative growls of various intensities. The two beasts were taking part in an ancient ritual of nature; a contest to see which of the two sides would back down first, to prove who was superior. Suddenly, the circling ceased, both creatures completely still, staring each other down, their bodies low to the ground, ready to attack at a moments notice. Were the tension not so great, or the potential consequences of a such a clash not so terrifying, the two creatures would have appeared majestic. Obelisk Bowser's curved horns reflected the rays of the sun, his dark crimson mane waving with the gentle breezes. The pupils of his eyes were vertical green slits, staring down the red eyes that had no pupils of the Forbidden Dragon. The transformed Ryu's protective scales individually glistened in the sunlight, his wings pressed tightly against his body. Both stood on all fours, their claws digging into the ground anxiously. The silence was abruptly broken, as both beasts stood up to their full height on their hind legs, rearing their heads back. Lunging forward, both released powerful streams of fire, the flames meeting in a draw, resulting in an engulfing cloud of smoke. Both undaunted, the two mighty beasts charged headfirst into the thick cloud. As the smoke cleared, the two figures were seen gripping the others hands, their arms locked in a battle of strength. Being so close to one another, the physical differences between the two contrasted by a visibly significant margin. Ryu's form was much taller than his opponents, though Bowser's bulky muscles compensated, leaving them at a stalemate. It was at that moment, when neither side had the advantage, that the battle began. Obelisk Bowser took a sudden step back with his left foot, pulling Ryu forward by yanking back his left hand. Temporarily off balance, the black dragon was unable to avoid the hand that wrapped itself around his neck. Obelisk Bowser pulled Ryu further forward by his neck, at the same time stretching out his neck, mouth open, intending to pierce his foe's neck with his mighty jaws. Before the beast could claim victory, however, he was halted by Ryu, having gripped Bowser's horns, allowing him to regain his footing. Quickly, having only a moment before his opponent resumed the strain on his neck, Ryu swiped away Bowser's hand with his tail, followed by lifting the King of Koopas off his feet, heaving him to the side, up into the air. So great was the momentum which had built up, that, by the time Bowser's paws returned to solid ground again, the beast had to smash his hands into the earth to create friction enough to keep from falling into the ocean. Unleashing his battle cry, Obelisk Bowser retaliated with a barrage of boulder sized fireballs, charging towards his enemy simultaneously. Ryu unfolded his powerful wings, taking to the sky, easily avoiding Bowser's initial attack, barely escaping Bowser's claws as he pounced toward the fleeing dragons. Having missed his target, Obelisk Bowser retreated into his protective shell, Ryu circled around, launching his own assault of fireballs. One after another, the flames rained down, causing the landscape surrounding Obelisk Bowser to erupt, crater and burn. Again, smoke surrounded the transformed King of Koopas, who still remained in his spiked green shell. Finally, the powerful dragon ceased his attack, circling around the thick, rising pillar of smoke, waiting for his prey to appear. Suddenly, the turtle-like beast, unharmed, shot out of the smoke, roaring with rage as he uprooted a huge oak tree, throwing it like a spear at his airborne enemy. Though the projectile only momentarily distracted the black dragon, it was enough. Obelisk Bowser had followed up the diversion with a huge sphere of flames. The fire struck its mark, and Ryu fell from the sky, landing with a crash onto the shoreline, sending a large wave of water and terrified fish towards a certain hedgehog. Sonic had to leap over the flying fish as the jumped in and out of the water repeatedly.

"The HELL?"

Sonic sped through the schools of fish, moving around the injured Ryu, unaware that the transformed Yoshi was one of the allies he and Mario had been separated from a few days ago. The blue hero sprinted past the Yoshis hiding place in the mountains, and sidestepped Obelisk Bowser's feet as the beast charged toward his enemy. Making another sharp turn and rushing up one of the mountainsides to get a better view of what was happening, many thoughts raced through Sonic's mind.

_'Okay, what in the hell just tried to make roadkill out of me?'_

Obelisk Bowser slammed his foot down onto Ryu's stomach, a cry of pain escaping from the black dragon, forcing Sonic to plug his ears. Before Ryu could counterattack, Bowser proceeded to mercilessly beat down on him with his powerful fists, every hit causing Ryu's huge body to jerk in reflex. Gripping Ryu's throat again, Obelisk Bowser's tail suddenly extended to a surprising length, swinging around his body, aiming to crush Ryu's skull with the spikes on his tail. Once again, however, Obelisk Bowser's finishing blow was averted by Ryu. The Forbidden Dragon had swiftly used the arrowhead tip of his tail to break through and completely penetrate his enemies extremity, ripping and tearing the flesh until the end of Bowser's tail had been entirely taken off. The transformed King of Koopas roared with agony, his blood leaking into the waves breaking against the shore. Taking advantage of his opponents pain, Ryu twisted his tail around Bowser's leg, pulling it out from under him. He followed with up by bashing his skull into Bowser's chin, toppling the demonic beast onto his spiked shell.

_'What kind of battle is taking place on this island? Who's the good monster? What am I supposed to DO here?!'_

Sonic watched, frustrated and amazed, as the transformed Ryu righted himself onto his feet, visibly damaged. Obelisk Bowser clumsily managed to roll onto his stomach by pulling himself to one side with his left paw, the gash marking where his tail had been torn off having healed and scabbed over unbelievably quickly. Within the mountains where the Yoshis hid, the three remaining elders grew increasingly more concerned with each passing second. Kuuchuu, Hinote and Sumo were getting restless, struggling to keep from rushing out into the battle despite their elders strict orders against doing so. Even Ronin, sitting apart from the other terrified natives with a sleeping Jenso, caught himself feeling anxiety over the clash between the two beasts.

_'Its only just begun, but the advantage has already been made clear. Ryu has been on the receiving end for the majority of the battle, and he's only landed a few solid blows. If he doesn't find a way to get around that defensive shell, Bowser is going to be victorious... Also-'_

Ronin looked up, his incredibly keen sense of smell having detected Sonic.

_'Someone else is watching this fight. It's hard to be certain after so long, but his scent definitely carries a trace of... home.'_

Ronin closed his eyes, pondering the situation, as Ryu slammed his foot on the ground, causing a minor earthquake that shook the whole island. Knocked down onto all fours, Obelisk Bowser was unable to retreat into his shell fast enough as the black dragon gripped an enormous boulder, throwing it with ease at the unsteady King of Koopas. Ryu's projectile smashed onto its target, knocking Obelisk Bowser into the air before he crashed down to earth. Unfolding his wings once again, Ryu took to the air, circling around his enemy as he slowly lifted his huge body off the ground. The black dragon gradually increased its speed, a powerful gale building from the turbulence Ryu's body created. Even Obelisk Bowser's considerably massive weight threatened to be swept up by the growing twister, the transformed turtle retreating into his shell again. Then, with alarming swiftness, Bowser's shell sped away, spinning rapidly, circling around to the opposite side of the island. Making a sudden turn, the demonic beast moved straight up the side of a mountain, launching himself off the peak like a ramp. Falling with incredible velocity, Obelisk Bowser's huge body slammed into Ryu in midair. The two monsters fell, creating a gigantic tidal wave as they crashed into the ocean far from the island. The wave fell violently against the land, stopping just short of the mountains before retreating. A hush fell over the population of the island, tense as they waited to see if either of the creatures had survived. Many moments passed, murmurs began to pass around the crowd of Yoshis. The elders each gulped individually, Ronin standing up and slowly making his way through the crowd to determine things for himself. It was then that someone among the hidden populace cried out, exclaiming with awe that something was rapidly making its way to the surface. From below the water, Ryu roared magnificently as he pushed his way out of the ocean and into the sky, Obelisk Bowser struggling as he was lifted out. Ryu's powerful talons were tightly gripping Bowser's horns, the enormous monster's arms too short to reach the black dragons feet. Ryu spiraled his body horizontally, disorienting Bowser as he rocketed straight upward. Twisting his body around back towards the island, Ryu released Bowser's body, sending him sailing down, smashing onto the shoreline, creating a huge crater. Having exhausted the majority of his energy, the Forbidden Dragon made a sloppy landing before collapsing to the ground. All throughout the island, confusion swept through the island as the tension came crashing down, everyone tired from the anxiety. Suddenly, the tension returned, as the Forbidden Dragon weakly lifted himself up, pushing himself to his feet, unleashing a mighty cry of triumph as fear once again held the island in an iron grip.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Overwhelming Hatred

As we resume our tale, we are shown the Ice Cap Zone back on Mobius once more, where the blizzard still rages.

* * *

Knuckles cursed the snow storm, having dug a burrow underground to rest momentarily, wincing as the ice that had accumulated on his fur slowly thawed.

"Damn frostbite..."

The guardian of the Master Emerald sighed, closing off his improvised shelter to the harsh elements.

_'This may be for the best. I've lost Luigi's scent because of the wind anyway. The snow's covered any tracks I might've found. I'll have to wait out this storm if I want to find them. Might as well get some rest..'_

It didn't take long for the weary echidna to fall fast asleep, unaware that he was closer to his objective than he realized. Just a few yards from Knuckles' location, Luigi was snoring softly when he was awakened by Tails.

"Wha-?"

Groggily, Luigi rubbed the sleep from his eyes, sitting himself upright.

"Something in this cave is making my radar go haywire. Let's go check it out."

"NO. I have had enough bad luck with caves today! Go look yourself!"

With that, Luigi closed his eyes again. Tails sighed, walking away deeper into the cave.

"Okay. The eight year old kid will go spelunking on his own while the terrified grown-up gets his beauty sleep."

Luigi opened his eyes, an exasperated and frustrated expression etched on his face as he stood up.

"Point taken. Just lead the way."

* * *

We leave Mobius again for now, returning to Yoshi Island, where Ryu, in the form of the Forbidden Dragon, still roars triumphantly.

* * *

The populace of the island continued to cower within the safety of the barrier surrounding the mountains. Speaking softly to one another, the three remaining elders questioned their predicament.

"We trade one evil for another."

"Is there truly nothing any of us can do?"

"Sadly, we can only wait for the hatred to run dry within his heart."

His voice resonating throughout the sanctuary as he spoke, Ronin calmly, patiently made his way forward from his position with Jenso away from the crowd.

"What possible good will come out of waiting? Ryu isn't in control of that creature, and there's no guarantee the other beast will stay unconscious long enough for Ryu's transformation to reverse."

"Then, what action do you suggest we take?"

Ronin made his way through the crowd, murmurs following in his wake.

"All of you, remain here. I'll deal with this situation."

Before any of the elders could protest, the enigmatic warrior was outside the protective barrier, making his way toward the Forbidden Dragon.

* * *

Momentarily, we leave the scene on Yoshi Island, where we return to the crew of Toadsworth and Wario.

* * *

Wario tossed and turned impatiently as he lay on the deck.

"Vivian! How long does it take a fire-user to melt a little freaking ICE?!"

The former shadow siren shouted back frustratedly at her bandage-clad commander.

"Maybe if a certain SOMEONE hadn't been too PROUD to wake the rest of the crew, we wouldn't be IN this fix!"

The mustached treasure hunter grunted, wincing as he attempted to stand, his broken ribs searing with pain. Vivian sighed, turning her attention back to the task at hand.

_'I don't understand how this ice is so strong. Normally, Beldams ice is on the same level of magic as my fire spells. It must have something to do with the dark presence I felt lurking within their minds.'_

Toadsworth held down the battered Wario with his cane, forcing him to lie back down.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you, Master Wario. We don't have an endless number of medical supplies on board. We've used the majority of what little we have treating you."

Wario scowled, but did as Toadsworth ordered.

"We've been stuck here for hours. At this rate, the enemy will have to be completely wasted for us to have a prayer of taking them by surprise."

"Do not be so cynical, Master Wario. The last thing the Resistance needs is a further drop of morale."

* * *

We return to the scene of Yoshi Island, where we see Ronin, seated not fifty feet away from the Forbidden Dragon.

* * *

The populace of the island watched in amazement, shock and total confusion from the safety of their self-made sanctuary. Ronin was easily within striking distance of the Forbidden Dragon, yet the huge beast was inexplicably docile, standing eerily still, it's eyes void of hatred, void of anything. Ronin himself appeared to be unconscious, sitting cross-legged, apparently performing an unknown technique.

* * *

We now enter the realm of Ryu's subconscious, where we see the figure of Ronin walking through darkness.

* * *

_"Ryu. Where are you? Can you hear me? It's Ronin."_

_From somewhere within the dark realm, Ryu's voice resonated quietly._

_"Ronin? What.. How can you be here?"_

_The samurai moved towards the source of the echoing voice as he responded._

_"The subconscious is a mysterious realm, Ryu. As a lone Samurai, I worked for eons to develop a technique that would allow me to share the subconscious of others, as well as give me deeper perspective of my own."_

_A hint of irritation could be detected in Ryu's voice as Ronin drew closer._

_"Why are you invading my subconscious?!"_

_Ronin was silent, well aware of the presence of the hate-filled Forbidden Dragon, able to hear its words increasingly taking control of Ryu's thoughts._

_"You.. you're trying to silence me! The same way that monster silenced my father! YOU'RE STILL ONE OF THEM!"_

_Ronin felt himself tense, the wave of the Forbidden Dragon's hatred threatening to crash down and sweep him out of Ryu's subconscious._

_"TRAITOR! YOU HELPED THEM KILL MY FATHER! I MUST AVENGE... I MUST KILL YOOUU!"_

* * *

We return to the realm of the reality, where Ronin has returned to his physical body.

* * *

Ronin felt himself being swept aside from the subconscious realm, the eerie sensation lingering even as he stood. Before the enigmatic warrior could take any sort of evasive action, the transformed Ryu's shadow loomed over him, a powerful stream of flame raining down upon him.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26: King, Father... Demon

We resume our tale, the scene within Bowser's subconscious.

* * *

_"Help... me..."_

_The King of Koopas words merely echoed back at him, followed by a deep, cold, voice, speaking in a soothing tone._

_**"There is no one else who will answer your pleas. I am the only one who can help you."**_

_The voice was one which Bowser knew well, one whose words alone made his blood boil._

_"Go to Hell!"_

_The royal Koopa's roar echoed throughout his subconscious, its intensity reflective of his rising anger. Bowser had never allowed himself to be at another's mercy, and he considered Mario to be the hated, yet respected, exception. Now, though, the father within him was steadily losing the willpower to resist the voice and its offer. Before he could stop himself, he heard the simple question escape his mind._

_"Where are my children?"_

_With the most assuring of tones, the ominous voice answered readily._

_**"Release all restraints. We shall find your dear sons, and beloved daughter. All that is needed is more power…"**_

_Bowser felt the dark entity swell up around him, engulfing him in its warm, deceitful embrace._

_"I have… to protect them… As their father, it's my… responsibility…"_

* * *

The scene shifts from Bowser's subconscious, returning us to Yoshi's Island.

* * *

Just as the transformed Ryu's flames threatened to completely engulf Ronin, a sudden gale of wind blasted directly upward into the dragon's fire, scattering the flames in all directions. The gale continued upward, knocking back the already exhausted Forbidden Dragon, leaving it momentarily dazed. Sonic slowed to a screeching halt between Ronin and the powerful beast, ending his signature Sonic Wind attack.

"Just so everyone's clear-I'm here to help, but that DOESN'T mean I'm paying for this!"

Ronin rubbed his temple exasperatedly, clearly not amused by the blue hedgehog's comment. Meanwhile, the rest of the island's population felt themselves growing restless, many having to be restrained from rushing out of the safety of the barrier created by the elders.

"This is absurd! Why should we just sit here, cowering while outsiders, one who only hours ago was one of our captors, the other one who we've never met, meddle in our affairs?!"

Many similar questions and protests resonated within the haven of the island's mountains. The elders did not respond, they seemed transfixed on something that was visible to only them. All three had broken out in a cold sweat, and all had the same expression of sheer terror etched upon their faces. Many Yoshis tried to break them free of their apparent trance, but they simply were too horrified to take notice. Outside of the self-made haven, the body of the fallen Obelisk Bowser stirred, a dark cloud engulfing its massive body. The darkness billowed and swelled, rising like a thick smoke from the transformed King of Koopas. A powerful force shook the island, and the dark veil dissipated, revealing a far more demonic creature than had been in its place moments ago. The being had only changed slightly in regards of its physical traits. Its horns had lengthened even further, curved even more into a loop, pointed out over the creatures face, similar to a bull. Its eyes emanated a cold, chilling aura, void of pupils, filled only with a pulsating shade of violet. But by far the most significant change was its ability to speak, and thick black smoke rose from its nostrils as its deep, powerful voice resonated for miles.

**"Yesss… Finally, I am fully victorious over this idiotic host. I have complete reign over my power… At last, the weakling mortals of this pitiful planet shall know the true meaning of carnage, met at the hands of Obelisk."**

The unholy monstrosity averted its eyes towards the weakened Forbidden Dragon, an eerily sadistic smile growing on its visage. Refusing to be outmatched, the transformed Ryu attempted to blast the creature with its flames. Faster than any would have anticipated for a creature of such size, the monster smashed its fist into the dragons chest, sending it flying through the air, crashing onto the shore of the island. The black dragon stubbornly tried to lift itself, before collapsing down again, utterly exhausted.

**"Hmph. Truly pitiful. I shall exterminate the rest of your cowering kin before I eliminate you."**

The beast's words sent an overwhelming wave of paralyzing fear amongst the Islands population hidden amid the mountains. The demon shifted its weight as if to charge toward the terrified Yoshis, but was halted by Sonic and Ronin, the hedgehog having rammed up into the monsters chin while the enigmatic warrior managed to temporarily relieve it of balance with a mighty blow to its left leg. The beast stumbled back slightly, but only smiled as it easily righted itself.

**"Hrn.. A strong duo, considering you are but mortals. Very well, I've awaited this day for years trapped within this unworthy vessel, I can wait a short while longer before beginning my true rampage unto the world."**

Sonic felt doubts fester in the back of his mind, refusing to give in to exhaustion from fighting through the entire night.

_'Damn, this guy is serious. I dunno who this dude in the cloak is, but I doubt that his help will stop this thing. I'm aching all over, not sleeping all night is starting to catch up to me, and I've still got cramps on my cramps from sitting around all day in that stupid cell.'_

The blue hedgehog winced slightly, but gave no other indication that he was in pain, rushing toward his huge opponent without hesitation. As what was to be quite a short-lived battle began, Ryu's young friend had managed to sneak out of the safety provided by the barrier and hurry to the exhausted Forbidden Dragon unnoticed. The young Yoshi, although trembling with fear, looked straight into the red eyes of his transformed friend, pleading him to get up.

* * *

Once more, the scene changes, showing us again Ryu's subconscious.

* * *

_"Ronin?"_

_Ryu called after the cloaked samurai, feeling lost in the darkness that surrounded him. _

_"Where is everyone?"_

_Suddenly, a gash of light appeared in the darkness, showing Ryu the world through the Forbidden Dragon's eyes. Ryu looked confusedly at the young dragon Yoshi before him, his eyes slowly wandering toward the mountains, and the slightly dazed black Yoshi was bombarded with flashbacks of when his father had transformed into the Forbidden Dragon years ago. He was shown horrifying visions of Koopas and Yoshis alike fleeing with terror, most soaked in blood of friends and family. He saw his battered father after having been stopped and having reverted to his usual self, he was forced to feel the shame and guilt his father felt at having committed such horrid deeds. It was then that Obelisk grew bored of his fight with Sonic and Ronin, and charged past them, raising his enormous fist to crash down against the mountains. _

_"NO! I-I DON'T WANT THIS! I DON'T WANT MORE DEATH! I WANT IT TO STOP! SSSSTOOOOPPPP!"_

* * *

We return to the conscious world, where panic has overtaken the island's populace as they race, fight and trample one another to save themselves and loved ones.

* * *

The transformed Ryu, suddenly overtaken by the desire to cease the destruction, leapt into the air, grasping Obelisk's fists from behind, roaring powerfully as he heaved the demon back away from the mountains. The Forbidden Dragon had vanished, only its huge body remained. Ryu twisted around, lurching forward over his screaming kin below him, bracing his outstretched neck to hold up the rockslide which had resulted from Obelisk's assault on the mountains. Behind him, the enraged demon roared angrily, billows of smoke rising from its nostrils.

**"ALRIGHT, MORTAL! CLEARLY YOU WISH TO BE WITH YOUR COWARDLY BROTHERS AND SISTERS! I SHALL GRANT YOU YOUR WISH, PITIFUL MORTAL! YOU AND YOUR KIN SHALL BE TOGETHER ETERNALLY IN THE FIREY DEPTHS OF HELL!"**

With that, Obelisk unleashed a stream of flames many times more powerful than any mustered by its previous incarnation, its heat significantly greater. Shutting his eyes tightly, Ryu unfolded his massive wings, pressing them tightly against the mountains, acting as a living shield against the flames. The blaze struck the noble, transformed Yoshi, his cries of excruciating pain drowned out by the burning of his own flesh. Time seemed to slow to a crawl, the pain continued for what felt like an eternity before the demonic beast finally ceased the stream of flames to catch its breath. The scales of Ryu's back had been completely incinerated, his bare, charred flesh leaving large trails of smoke and steam billowing off his back and wings. Ryu, despite his vision being blurred from the excessive pain, managed to open his eyes briefly, confirming that the Yoshis had managed to escape before crashing his powerful neck up through the boulders which had piled over him, his jaws open as if to roar in defiant victory, but no sound came out. Slowly, Ryu's huge body began to shrink, his clawed fingers returning to normal, his talons retreating back into his feet. His neck retracted to its normal length, his beaklike snout reverting back to its round shape. His wings shrank back their usual size, his tail lost its arrowhead tip and retreated back to its normal length. The mark of his burned flesh decreased in size, the smoke and steam thinning slowly. His eyes lost their crimson hue, his pupils materializing gradually. Struggling to make even the slightest sound, Ryu's eyes rolled back in his head, his eyes white, the pain proving too much to maintain consciousness. Slowly, the charred warrior collapsed to the ground, made a few short, shallow breaths, then lay motionless…


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27: The Curse Unravels

The Yoshi tribes wandered around the island in confusion, fearful exchanges of words passing among the disorganized groups, many families having been split up as a result of the chaos. Even the elders, although maintaining a collected composure, appeared visibly shaken. They spoke firmly as they overlooked the frightened population, their words only temporarily stilling the murmurs.

"My brothers and sisters, we have survived the worst of this disaster. The Forbidden Dragon is at rest once again, and now, we have been given our safety once again."

"Soon, we will be able to return to our homes, and rebuild what has been lost."

Protests rang out powerfully from the crowd, and the elders listened tiredly as their conventional wisdom was cut down.

"HOW CAN YOU EVEN TALK ABOUT SAFETY?! THERE IS A WARRIOR, NOT A DRAGON, A WARRIOR, WHO JUST SACRIFICED HIMSELF TO SAVE THE ENTIRE ISLAND!"

"YOU PLAN TO LET THE DEMON THAT KILLED RYU JUST WALK AWAY FROM OUR ISLAND AFTER CAUSING SO MUCH DEVASTATION?! YOU EXPECT US TO GO ALONG WITH THAT?!"

The elders looked to their warriors for support, but they received none. Again, they tried to soothe the rising agitation.

"Calm yourselves. Ryu and his father gave their lives so that all of us may live. To throw our lives away in a hopeless battle against such a monstrosity would be to dishonor them. We must-"

Fresh protests rose up from among the masses.

"THAT'S A LOAD OF CRAP, AND YOU KNOW IT!"

"IF IT HAD BEEN SOME OTHER TRIBE LEADERS THAT WERE KILLED, WE WOULDN'T HAVE HESITATED IN FIGHTING BACK!"

The shouting grew in intensity between the elders and the angry population, echoing around to the other side of the island. Obelisk turned its attention away from Ryu's steaming body, smiling maliciously.

**"Ahhh, so the weaklings managed to escape. How tragic that such efforts are wasted when I am the predator. Still..."**

The demonic beast glanced back down towards Ryu's charred body, glaring intensely.

**"To think that such an insignificant being could endure my flames with its body intact. He actually managed to be mildly vexing. Even now, his life force clutches that pathetic body. BAH! He shall live only long enough to hear the screams of agony from his brethren!"**

Obelisk cackled viciously, smashing through the terrain of the island towards the voices of Ryu's kin.

* * *

The setting changes, showing us Ryu's subconcious once again.

* * *

_Ryu's eyes struggled to stay open, his body felt numb, he couldn't feel his muscles respond when he tried to move. He was lying face-down near the edge of a body of water, something was pulling him in closer. He tried to resist, but his body was moving on its own, as if being dragged by some irresistible force. His eyes opened fully, and he stared into the reflection, watching his likeness fade, replaced by a scene of torture. He was the victim, trapped by members of other tribes, each blow dealt on him drawing blood. One of the attackers spoke to him, contempt seething from their face._

_"You're not a Yoshi! You're a monster! MONSTER!"_

_'What is this? I've never been assaulted like that...'_

_A flash changed the scene, and Ryu was briefly aware of his face moving down closer to the water's surface, before he was shown another event he didn't recognize. He saw through the eyes of the victim once again, but the tormentor was different now, instead it was a Yoshi of the Dragon tribe, a relative, possibly even their father. The father was yelling, lashing out, furiously and desperately trying to make the victim understand something._

_"STUPID YOUTHFUL FANTASIES! WE AREN'T ALLOWED TO BE INDIVIDUALS, WE WILL NEVER BE ACCEPTED AS ANYTHING MORE THAN MONSTERS! WE ARE NOT BORN AS EQUALS!"_

_'Why am I seeing these things?! This isn't my life, these aren't my memories!'_

_Another flash, and the vision was gone again, and Ryu felt that his face had sunken beneath the dark waters, his body inching down after him, threatening to immerse him completely. He was forced to watch another painful scene unfold, once more through eyes that were not his own. The new scene was quiet, though the victim's ears made Ryu aware of fearful, hateful whispers between the dozens of Yoshi that walked past, the words of caution from parents to children to give him a wide berth. He felt the cold, loathing eyes of each stranger he saw, heard the fear which betrayed their true emotions as they addressed the victim with respect._

_"Yes, Elder..."_

_'Elder? My father? Is this what life was like for him?!'_

_The scene was taken away again, not to be replaced by new ones, but to leave Ryu to contemplate what he had been shown. His body was sinking further into the dark waters, his faint struggles to free himself only causing him to fall in faster, his mind torn by his anger at the pain suffered by his predecessors._

_'The Dragon is the one doing this... It wants me to submit to its control again! I don't want to lose myself again!'_

_'How could they make us suffer so much?! What gives them the right to despise our tribe?!'_

_'GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE! I DON'T WANT ANYMORE PAIN!'_

_"Ryu..."_

_Ryu's conflicting inner voices suddenly quieted, and another scene appeared before his eyes. The setting was familiar to him, he saw his father at his bedside, he vaguely remembered it as a night during his childhood. The Dragon Elder looked tired, his face filling Ryu with a sense of urgency._

_"Ryu, there are terrible things in this world that are intangible, and yet, more poisonous and infectious than even the most potent of diseases. These things have infected even our own people, and have deeply ingrained themselves into our blood. Our tribe is the most heavily burdened by the one called hatred, and all of our people are weighed down by that known as prejudice. For countless generations, dozens of Yoshis have made incredible sacrifices in the hope that they could dispell these poisons, even if only slightly. After my experience with the form of the Forbidden Dragon, I placed myself among those selfless Yoshis and their efforts, although for less noble reasons. I put forth my efforts in an attempt to relieve the immense guilt I carry."_

_The image of the scene gradually faded in and out of focus as Ryu's weary father paused momentarily. Only the Elder's voice remained as he began speaking again._

_"I lack the strength to tell you these things except for when you are half-asleep, such as now. But, sooner or later, I will have to accept the reality that our tribe's curse, which blankets over the entirety of our people, will be broken by your generation, not mine. I don't envy the youthful children for that, Ryu, I am pained that the responsibility falls to you. But I am tired, I do not have the drive necessary to keep pushing for progress anymore. I wish that I did, that I could move them even a little further along for you, so that you and your generation would have less ground to cover, but such things are beyond me now. I can only pass on the things that I have learned from the countless days that have made me so weary. There are many little things that cannot possibly be told tonight, but one thing, I believe, holds great importance. No matter the pain you endure, you must not hate. Not others and not yourself. It sounds impossible, I understand, and it will only be much more difficult because of the Forbidden Dragon that lies dormant within those of our tribe. But you must understand, as blinding as hatred may be, that everyone experiences pain. Even if some appear to endure more than others, there is a balance that levels out for us all, even those like Bowser."_

_There was another pause, and the Elder's voice grew gradually quieter._

_"Good night, Ryu. Remember to forget the wrongs past, to forgive those done in the present... And, if you can find it within yourself, forgive your father for not having the strength to give you more than he has."_

_The last words of his father echoed briefly in his head, and Ryu suddenly realized that he had unconsciously freed himself from the allure of the Forbidden Dragon's will as the scene disappeared back amongst his memories..._


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Acceptance of Responsibility

Ryu opened his eyes, gradually returning to consciousness. The black Yoshi pushed his upper body off the ground, looking for any sign of Obelisk. He pulled himself slowly to his feet, cringing as he tried to unfold his wings.

"Damn... Can't fly like this... The pain could make me black out in midair."

Ryu shuddered as the sound of Obelisk's roar resonated from the other side of the island, followed by hundreds of terrified screams. On instinct, Ryu moved forward toward the sound, running as quickly as his injuries would allow, but his pace grew slower the farther he went, his mind filling with doubts.

_'What am I going to do once I get there? What CAN I even do to help in this state?'_

The warrior Yoshi yelled out in frustration.

"I ALMOST WISH I WERE STILL THE FORBIDDEN DRAGON! AT LEAST THEN I WAS ABLE TO DO SOMETHING!"

Ryu suddenly stopped, the implications of his impulsive outcry shocking him, and a harsh realization crashed down over him.

_'This must have been what they've all gone through. This doubt, this feeling of helplessness...'_

The Dragon warrior continued walking forward, his mind pondering the implications of the burden caused by the Forbidden Dragon.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, we see Obelisk looming over a population of terrified Yoshis.

"THE ELDERS HAVE FALLEN!"

Cries of anguish and despair were drowned out by Obelisk's cruel laughter, the populace scattering in all directions. The demon had begun its rampage by slaughtering the slowest and oldest first, reveling in the devestation and terror.

**"AHAHAH! THAT'S RIGHT, INSECTS, SCATTER! IT WILL MAKE THE ACT OF SPILLING YOUR BLOOD ALL THE MORE SAVORY!"**

Amidst the chaos, both Sonic and Ronin worked frantically to move all non-warriors away from immediate danger, and it was then that Ryu first laid eyes on the terrible scene. The black Yoshi saw his fellow warriors. They wore faces of extreme anger, glaring toward their tormentor. He noticed the bloodied bodies of the three tribe elders, among the rest of Obelisk's first victims. He saw groups of other young Yoshi with the same anger on their faces as they charged, disorganized, towards the demon responsible for their rage. Several Fire Yoshi, carried up into the sky by an equal number of the Air tribe, rained down fire into the beasts eyes, momentarily blinding it. Another group on the ground, made up of members of the Earth tribe, struck with their ground-shaking feet at Obelisk's lower limbs, forcing the creature to stagger back slightly. But the efforts only gave Obelisk greater reason to laugh as the fliers were swatted to the ground with a single fist, those on the ground blown backwards with a swipe of the monster's tail.

**"HAH! Even in numbers as great as these, this is the best effort you can muster? I expected more, even from pathetic mortals! Even my incompetent host could manage better!"**

Ryu realized Obelisk was referring to Bowser, and in that moment, something changed within the young warrior.

_'I see it now, Father. I thought I had understood it, but my vision was too narrow, it didn't include anyone outside of the island. Bowser is... he's actually similar to us, to the Dragon tribe. This demon is the same for him as the Forbidden Dragon is for us.'_

The Dragon Yoshi was vaguely aware of a large power refreshing his body, the pain from his injuries gradually fading.

_'You were right... there is a balance... Knowing the sort of pain our ancestors suffered, it actually makes it easier to understand what he must have gone through.'_

Below Ryu's position on the mountain side, Sonic noticed a white glow emanate from his pouch, as Obelisk moved toward the disoriented Yoshi warriors with bared fangs. Ryu felt an overwhelming strength fill his veins, unfolding his wings and flying down to intercept Obelisk with unusual speed, touching down between the demon and his fellow warriors with a ground-shaking crash. The huge beast was thrown off balance by the minor quake, glaring down at the lone figure that stood before it.

"RYU?!"

The entirety of the remaining populace was shocked out of their state of panic, staring at the warrior they had presumed to be dead. Sonic brought out the newly colored white chaos emerald, smirking slightly as he made the connection.

_'Must've been him that the emerald was reacting to earlier. I've never seen them react to anyone from this world before, but I guess there's a first time for everything.'_

Ryu matched the intensity of Obelisk's glare, the warrior's eyes white instead of their usual hazel. The black Yoshi raised a hand, pointing at Obelisk.

"Go back to whatever dark crevice of Bowser's mind you came from, demon. Your rampage isn't going any further."

There was a momentary silence following Ryu's demands before Obelisk responded.

**"I know not how you are still moving, mortal, but none make demands of me."**

"Last warning, Obelisk."

The demon roared in a fit of fury, lurching forward toward the cause of its rage, bringing down its open hand upon Ryu. The Dragon tribe warrior flew under the beasts clawed hand, gripping the underside of its wrist and flying over Obelisk's head, pulling the demon backwards off its feet. Ryu released his grip, flying back around upside down over the creatures head and knocking it down onto its back with a harsh earth-shaking kick between its eyes. Obelisk's body smashed into the ground, and Ryu landed back to the ground, blasting away the resulting dust with his wings. The enormous demon cackled, rising to its feet again.

**"You are as weak as your brethren, mortal. You have failed to weaken me in even the slightest!"**

"That's fine. I wasn't aiming to harm you anyway."


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29: Learning Curves

As the situation continues to escalate on Yoshis Island, we briefly return to Mobius, where we see Tails and Luigi still moving deeper into the cave.

* * *

"Remind me again what we're looking for?"

Luigi questioned his companion, following Tails through another tunnel in the complex underground network they had discovered in the cave. Tails started slightly at the sound of the green clad plumber's voice, the pair having traveled in silence for a long while. The young fox remained tense as he responded.

"If you had asked an hour ago, I would have told you something that could mess with the radar. But I stopped moving based on the radar a while ago. Now I have no idea what it is we're looking for."

Tails' companion was silent for a moment before questioning him again.

"You wouldn't happen to be moving toward that sort of ominous pressure that's getting thick in the atmosphere, would you?"

Tails stopped dead in his tracks, turning around to face Luigi, his expression one of surprise.

"You feel it too?"

The green clad plumber nodded, his companion's visible tension leaking over into his own body.

"I had just assumed it was something normal in this world. It's not, is it?"

Tails shook his head, glancing back behind him deeper into the tunnel, feeling the sense of forboding threatening to overwhelm him.

"No. It's happened before, but it's not something you're supposed to run into on a daily basis. Knuckles told you about the chaos emeralds and chaos energy, right?"

Luigi nodded, lightly shuddering involuntarily.

"Well, this pressure, like you said, is really the emanation of negative chaos energy. But I've never felt it so intensely before, it's insanely powerful."

The two companions were silent for a moment, their brief conversation speaking to the most unpleasant sides of their imaginations. Luigi broke the silence first.

"HEY, we should probably get back to the surface. The storm has probably passed, and we still have to find Knuckles, right?"

"Yeah! We've been down here too long anyway... Let's go."

With that, Tails followed Luigi back the way they had come, both of them feeling more relieved the closer they got to the exit.

* * *

The scene returns to the Mushroom Kingdom, revealing Mario and Fawful as they moved through a large fortress.

* * *

Mario kept his grip tight on his unusual luggage, following Fawful down to the end of a long corridor. The two had arrived outside of a castle that would give the King of Koopas envy, a fortress which lay well hidden within the Hoohoo mountains of the Beanbean Kingdom. The portly plumber paused behind Fawful in front of two looming steel doors, his hovering escort opening the entrance with ease. The two walked into a dimly lit chamber, a long crimson carpet leading up to a throne on the far side of the room, where a thin, tall figure sat clothed somewhat similarly to Fawful. The short bean-like creature hovered toward the throne, touching down before it and kneeling.

"Mistress, returned I have, and fulfilled your request, I have!"

A voice dripping with malice emanated from the seated figure, a bony hand with fingers like claws reaching down and affectionately brushing against Fawful.

"Yes... Very good, my dear Fawful. Bring forth our newest catch."

"Immediately, mistress! Nameless one, unveil the rat-fink!"

Mario moved forward, an evil smirk etched on his face, tossing the contents of the large bag out in front of the throne. A cackle rang throughout the chamber as a dark violet shadow rolled before the throne, the comatose figure possessing the exact shape of the red clad hero.

"Excellent! Our scheme is shaping up perfectly! Throw him in with the rest of our prisoners, precious Fawful!"

The hovering minion obeyed, his strange headgear levitating the unconscious figure and carrying it with him out of the chamber, while Mario remained before the throne.

"You know the duties that fall to you now, I presume?"

The mustached plumber nodded, a mischievous gleam visible in his eyes as he respectfully tipped his hat and bowed.

"Of course, madam."

With a snap of the shadowed figures fingers, the portly hero vanished from the room, whisked away back to the Mushroom Kingdom.

_'Ah yes. I best also have Beldam release her hold over the ice that is keeping the intruders from progressing any further. They won't be able to do anything now anyway. Best not to waste perfectly useful magical energies.'_

* * *

For just a moment, the scene returns to Wario and his crew.

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"

Wario shouted in frustration, pulling Vivian back up onto the ship. The chubby treasure hunter stared down at the suddenly clear waters that had replaced the small glacier that had surrounded them, angry and confused.

"I can assure you, it certainly wasn't me. I don't have the magical power to make that much ice disappear like that all at once."

Toadsworth shook off his feeling of amazement, returning his concentration back to the original mission.

"Yes, well, incredible as it may be, at the very least it means we are free once more to move toward Yoshis Island. Unless there are any objections?"

No one spoke out in disagreement, and Wario gave up on trying to make sense of the situation, turning to face Bobbery.

"When do you figure we'll reach the island?"

The former admiral glanced up to check the position of the sun before responding.

"Well, the wind isn't as favorable as it was earlier, but if all goes well from here on out, we ought to make it there by mid morning."

"All right. Let's get moving."

* * *

We are returned to the tense setting of Yoshis Island, where Ryu and Obelisk stand facing off.

* * *

The island's populace had broken out of their dazed state brought on by Ryu's sudden reappearance, all but the warriors having fled from the scene of the battle. Sonic and Ronin had positioned themselves amongst the crowd of warriors that stood behind Ryu, prepared to fight if necessary. Obelisk glared down at the dozens of figures standing before it, growling fiercely as it pondered how to eliminate Ryu. The black Yoshi waited for the demon to attempt another assault, his mind racing.

_'I can't stall like this forever. Obelisk isn't going to back down willingly. I could try to wear it down like it did to the Forbidden Dragon, but that would probably end up killing Bowser. I can't risk forcing it off the island, either, I doubt even an ocean can keep it from wreaking havoc on the rest of the kingdom. There has to be some way to give control back to Bowser, but how can-'_

Realization washed over Ryu, the Dragon tribe Yoshi impulsively turning around to face the mass of warriors behind him, calling out to the only cloaked figure in the crowd.

"RONIN! YOUR TECHNIQUE FROM BEFORE! I NEED TO-"

A furious roar from Obelisk interrupted Ryu before he could finish, the demon's nostrils fuming black smoke.

**"NEVER TURN YOUR BACK UNLESS YOU MEAN TO FLEE, MORTAL! I WILL NOT SUFFER YOUR MOCKERY ANY LONGER!"**

The beast released a mass of flames from its bowels, Ryu shouting out to his fellow warriors as he turned back to face the oncoming inferno.

"EVERYBODY GET DOWN, NOW!"

The black Yoshi blasted back Obelisk's attack with his own flames, summoning every ounce of fire in his body to match the intensity of the demon's blaze. The two sides collided, each pushing the other back with immense force. Ryu shuddered slightly from the effort. Those from the Dragon tribe among the warriors rushed forward to join him, combining their own flames with his. The heat intensified, the sweat on Ryu's body evaporating milliseconds after forming. Finally, Hinote charged in amongst the Dragon Yoshi warriors, almost immediately followed by the rest of the Fire tribe fighters, bringing their flames together in a single, overpowering force. The combined strength of the two tribes blasted back against Obelisk's onslaught, engulfing the demon in an enormous mass of flames.

**"RAGH! MEDDLESOME, INSOLENT INSECTS!"**

The beast lashed out at random, the warriors pulling back momentarily as Sonic moved in to distract the creature. Ryu pulled Ronin aside, speaking loudly so that everyone could hear his plan.

"I need to use that technique that lets you interact with others' subconscious!"

"Ryu, that technique takes years to properly learn, and it would leave you vulnerable to attack from-"

The black Yoshi didn't let the cloaked samurai finish, shouting out orders to his fellow fighters.

"This is our best chance to get rid of the demon and send it back where it came from! Hinote, Sumo, Kuuchuu, organize your tribes' fighters, and Dragon warriors will divide themselves equally amongst the the other three tribes! If each group attacks as one, it will at least deter Obelisk! If we're smart, we can keep from suffering any more casualties! There have to be weak points, even on this kind of monster!"

The warriors let out a battle cry, rallying behind Ryu's hopeful words before dividing themselves into three groups and charging toward Obelisk as the flames dissipated from its body. Ryu turned back to Ronin, a slightly nervous smile etched on his face as Ronin spoke.

"Seems as if I don't have any say in the matter. Well, if you're willing to risk the less orthodox method. Are you ready?"

"Absolutely. Let's go visit King Koopa."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Prisoners

Our story resumes within Ryu's subconscious, where Ronin has appeared once more.

* * *

_"What did you mean when you said this method is less orthodox?"_

_Ryu questioned Ronin as the samurai prepared to begin his ritual._

_"The risk of death increases significantly for the individual transferring into another subconscious. Simply put, if you lose your grip on the concentration necessary for this technique, your mental connection to your body will be severed entirely and you will die."_

_The black Yoshi was momentarily stunned into silence before speaking further._

_"What do I have to do?"_

_"I will act as the anchor that holds the link between this subconscious realm and Bowser's, you just have to make the actual move from here to there and act as the link. You'll have to focus solely on keeping your mental form present in his subconscious. You must block off any doubts and concerns about what's happening within the outside world."_

_Ryu nodded, his mind honing in on the inner depths of the King of Koopas as Ronin began. The space around the Dragon warrior grew distorted, slowly vanishing into a swirling vortex._

_"Anything else I need to know?"_

_"Once you've finished the transition, you'll start feeling a sort of heavy, pressuring atmosphere surround you. Your inexperience with this technique makes you more susceptible to this sensation, and once Obelisk recognizes your presence, the stress will become immense. Because the demon has lurked within that realm for so many years, it will be capable of tormenting your mental essence. Anything that happens to your form in there, your physical body endures outside. Your best chance for survival is to avoid the dangers Obelisk attacks you with and find Bowser as quickly as you possibly can. I won't be able to communicate with you from here onward, as it would create even more stress and divide your concentration further."_

_The black Yoshi felt a shudder of nervousness briefly run down his spine, the samurai's words fading as he vanished from the inner depths of his mind._

* * *

We momentarily shift our attention away from Yoshis Island, returning to the fortress hidden within the Hoohoo mountains.

* * *

Fawful hovered down into a chamber far below the fortress, levitating his prisoner via his headgear as he moved down a long corridor filled with captives. Each cell was crammed full of creatures native to the Beanbean Kingdom, all of them fearful as the caped minion swept past, stopping before a cage with only one occupant. Fawful unlocked the steel door and tossed the newest addition into the cell, giggling eerily before hovering back out of the dungeon. Minutes passed by before the shaded purple figure stirred, sitting upright slowly, groaning and mumbling.

"Agh."

"Ah, some much needed company!"

Mario's shadow turned toward his cellmate's voice, seeing, through blurred vision, an old man dressed in a torn lab coat that was covered with grime. He wore glasses with spiral lenses that were cracked in several places, his hair white and uncombed, clinging to his scalp.

"Elvin? Elvin Gadd?"

The elderly scientist gave an empty smile at being recognized.

"Terrible that they succeeded in capturing you, though. But let's not discuss such dreary things. Tell me, how is your brother, Mario?"

* * *

The scene returns to Yoshis Island, as Ryu wanders within Bowser's subconscious.

* * *

_Ryu's breathing began to steadily grow ragged mere minutes after entering the inner depths of Bowser's mind. The black Yoshi steeled over his concentration, moving based the sense of a dense, smoggy atmosphere, each step forward causing a greater feeling of pressure. The dark fog thickened until Ryu felt as if he were suffocating, noticing a silhouette identical to Bowser standing a short distance away. The Dragon Yoshi felt sweat begin to fall from his face and arms, nearly on the brink of blacking out from suffocation as he shouted out to the nearby figure._

_"BOWS-!"_

_Ryu's outcry was cut short as the dark fog suddenly blasted him backwards with a gale of wind, Obelisk's demonic voice echoing within his mind._

_**"I know not how you managed to intrude this realm, mortal, but you shall not disturb my dominance here. I will NOT be denied my triumph by the likes of you!"**_

_Ryu unfolded his wings, gliding up over the wind, angling himself back down towards Bowser's shadowed figure. A solid form appeared from within the black smog, batting Ryu out of the air as Obelisk's voice resonated once more, the fog swelling upwards, towering over Ryu._

_**"I have not possessed a body of my own for many millennia... But here, in this realm, I can create form out of nothingness! A mortal such as you, however..."**_

_The enormous cloud of smothering fog swirled around rapidly, creating a massive tornado that swallowed the warrior Yoshi, the harsh winds battering his body and the pressure crashing down on him even more heavily._

_**"You have only the shape of your own, pathetic body!"**_

_The demon laughed even as Ryu managed to negate the force of the twister with his powerful wings, soaring up over the formless mass that was Obelisk. He felt his body being weighed down by the stress of being within this alien subconscious, the burden made even greater by the presence of Bowser's inner demon. Despite the thickness and density of the fog, even at such a far distance, he could still make out the Koopa King's figure somewhere inside of it. _

_'He's so damn close...'_

_The black Dragon Yoshi's thought emanated out from his body, filling the chamber, even though it had not been spoken. The effect distracted Ryu only for a moment, but the consequence was nearly fatal. Merely losing a single instant of his concentration caused the pressure on his body to skyrocket, draining a large portion of his energy before he could refocus himself. Obelisk took notice, a flash of a cruel smile visible from within the smog. The demon struck his prey down again, one of his many eyes peering to the situation on the physical plane. The beast watched, even as he endured attacks from the islands populace, as Ryu's unconscious body spasmed and began to bruise from the injuries his mental form had taken. The white-eyed warrior took advantage of the demons momentary distraction, calling forth the full power of his flames. Obelisk looked back too late as the fire rained down upon him, his gaseous form crying out as it went up in flames._

_**"RAAAGGH!"**_

_Ryu darted forward through the fire towards Bowser, leaping forward as he held his breath._

_**"I THINK NOT, MORTAL!"**_

_A solid wall rose up before Ryu, only inches from making contact with the King of Koopas. The flames around him were suffocated in moments, drained of the air they needed to burn._

_**"You will perish slowly... Painfully... Suffocate, and die!"**_

_The black warrior eventually was forced to take a breath in, choking and falling against the ground, gagging on the black smoke. The ashy smog burned his eyes, the atmosphere slowly crushing him. It was at that moment, when Ryu was nearing death, that a single, powerful desire flowed out from Bowser's mind, whistling past his ears._

_'My children...'_

_Ryu suddenly realized how to free Bowser's body from Obelisk's control. Thoughts, desires, emotions... Things that roamed and filled the endless depths of the subconscious. Things that not even Obelisk could control. The black Yoshi warrior concentrated on a single thought, pouring all of his focus into it as the pressure tightened._

_'Yes... YOUR children, Bowser... YOU are their father... Not this... demon.'_

* * *

Just for the briefest moment, we return to the conscious world.

* * *

In the pause of the battle between the Yoshi warriors and Obelisk, the tribes having momentarily pulled back due to exhaustion from the intensity of the fight, none notice as a pair of bright red pupils reappear in the demons eyes...


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Progress

_From inside the smog that made up Obelisk's consciousness, the King of Koopas emerged. Bowser roared at the shapeless demon, furious that he had been controlled._

_"WHAT'S GOING ON IN HERE?!"_

_Obelisk shuddered, losing his intangible form and gradually shrinking as Bowser's mind returned to the surface._

_**"Lord Bowser... I beli-"**_

_The demon was interrupted by Ryu as he gasped sharply, the pressure lessening significantly as control returned to the Koopa King. Bowser glanced at the warrior Yoshi, shouting again at his inner demon._

_"WHO THE HELL IS THIS?!"_

_**"He's an intruder! He is the one responsible for the disappearance of your precious children! Now he's come here to kill-"**_

_Obelisk's lies continued to echo throughout the realm, but only in the form of thoughts. The voice itself had been silenced by Bowser, the force of his consciousness strangling the demon. Ryu noticed that the waves of hidden desires and emotions had grown quieter. The harshness of the disembodied voices had vanished, though they remained firm and clear. Some were undying, powerful currents that held great emotional meaning, but most were short-lived, fading as quickly as they had appeared. As Ryu was pulled back into his own mind, one of these impulses shook the realm with its brief uproar, as Bowser sent Obelisk back into the darkest depths of his subconscious._

_'Piss off!'_

* * *

The scene of Bowser's subconscious fades, showing us Ryu as he begins to stir.

* * *

Ryu awoke on a bed of leaves inside one of the prison buildings just as Sonic rushed in through the entrance.

"Whoa! Hey! Good to see you're finally up!"

The black Yoshi felt extremely stiff, supporting himself against a wall as he rose to his feet.

"What's happened? What's going on?"

Sonic moved to one of the barred windows and peered outside as he spoke.

"Well, right this second, I'm making my last stop before I head out."

"The last thing I remember is being in Bowser's subconscious..."

The blue hedgehog turned back toward Ryu.

"Well, after he finished shrinking from eight stories to eight feet, he passed out. The other Yoshis were still ticked, and probably would have kept beating on him if the cloaked dude -Ronin, I guess-hadn't told them that you wanted him to be let alone. They agreed to wait until you woke up to make a decision about what to do with him. The three in charge had you brought in here to rest while everyone else worked on taking care of the dead and trying to clean stuff up. You've been here for the past hour."

Ryu rested his head against the stone wall, taking in all that he had missed. Hearing that his peers had waited for his opinion to be put into consideration before taking action, he started to realize how much his responsibilites had changed.

"And now?"

Sonic looked out the window again.

"Now everyone's stopped working and those three leaders are talking to the Resistance."

"The who?"

The hedgehog pointed outside as Ryu walked up to the window.

"Group of the plumber's friends led by his fat cousin. They're the good guys, but they aren't too fond of me, and I'm not too fond of being cooped up in a cell, so we don't mix."

"Are you sure you'll be safe on your own? We can try to negotiate something with them."

Sonic placed a hand on Ryu's shoulder, smiling as he reached into his pouch with his other hand.

"I've already been fed, so I can take care of myself from here on my own. I really only stopped by to give you this."

The spiny hero handed Ryu the white chaos emerald, the gem's color matching perfectly that of the Dragon Yoshi's eyes.

"I have a feeling this chaos emerald belongs with you. I'd give you the whole big lecture on what it is, but I've hung around long enough. Good luck, Ryu!"

Before the black Yoshi could say anything more, Sonic was gone. Moments later, Sumo appeared in the doorway, and Ryu shoved the white jewel under the bed of leaves.

"We're moving someplace else to discuss things with the Resistance leaders, Ryu. If you're ready, Hinote, Kuuchuu and I would prefer it if you were with us."

The hefty Earth Yoshi paused.

"How are you feeling?"

Ryu straightened as he started towards the exit, giving a hint of a smile as he walked with Sumo.

"Better, Sumo. I'm feeling a lot better."

* * *

The scene shifts briefly to Mobius, where we see Knuckles has awakened.

* * *

"Damn, that's bright."

Knuckles shielded his eyes as he broke through the thick layers of snow that blanketed the Ice Cap Zone, pulling himself up to his feet, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the sudden light.

"At least the storm's stopped. Should make it easier to-"

The red echidna stopped midsentence, his sensitive nose picking up traces of a familiar, unpleasant odor. The guardian's vision began to return to him, and he noticed the entrance to a cave a short distance away.

"Well, it makes them easy to track, anyway."

* * *

The scene returns to Yoshis Island.

* * *

Ryu and Sumo stepped into what remained of the structure that held the meeting chamber of the four Elders. The chamber itself had miraculously survived with little visible damage, though the rest of the structure had been almost entirely destroyed. Wario and Toadsworth turned in their chairs to see the two tribe warriors as they entered. Hinote and Kuuchuu hadn't taken a seat, and it wasn't until each of the four warriors stood next to a chair that they all lowered themselves down. None of them felt entirely comfortable sitting in the chairs of their Elders, and each felt more of the weight of the responsibility they had suddenly inherited. There was silence in the chamber for several minutes. The silence was only interrupted by a steady, heavy breathing, and Ryu noticed for the first time that Bowser was lying unconscious in the far corner of the room, opposite where he sat. Wario was the first to speak.

"I don't think any of us want to waste time here, so I'll get to the point; we want the Koopa in our custody."

Hinote glared at the chubby treasure hunter.

"I don't mean to waste your precious time, but why should we agree to that when you haven't done anything to show that you're on our side? All you've done is claim that you were coming to help us!"

Wario moved to stand, only stopped by Toadsworth's intervention.

"Forgive us if we seem too demanding. We apologize for not being able to aid you when you needed it most. Of course, we will give you all the resources we can offer to help you recover from the disastrous devastation that has occurred here. We are here as friends to the Yoshis, not as enemies."

The old adviser's tactful words left Wario and Hinote quiet. Kuuchuu spoke next.

"Why is it you want him to be under your supervision?"

Toadsworth started to answer, but was interrupted by his commander.

"Because that bastard is the one responsible for everything that's wrong with the Kingdom right now."

Sumo's voice followed. Ryu kept listening to every word, his eyes focused on the King of Koopas.

"Do you have any proof that he's the one behind it?"

"YEAH! Peach is gone, AGAIN, and HIS minions are the ones running around!"

Hinote rose from his seat, raising his voice against Wario's a second time.

"Did you ever actually SEE him giving orders or kidnapping the princess? WE have hundreds of witnesses to what this monster did to our island, and ALL of them want to see him pay for what he's done here! There's a good _reason _for him to be kept here, and none that he should be turned over to you!"

"LISTEN, you-"

The discussion dissolved into an argument. Wario and Hinote refused to give the other side's perspectives any real consideration, and the additional voices from both sides only created more frustration. Ryu stayed silent, just listening to the ideas being proposed amidst the tirade between the Fire tribe warrior and the mustached treasure hunter. He heard Toadsworth try to give assurance that Bowser would be returned to the Yoshis, he heard Kuuchuu attempt to persuade the Resistance leaders into allowing an abridged trial to determine Bowser's punishment. Finally, Sumo's strong voice managed to quiet everyone, and the Earth tribe warrior gestured toward Ryu.

"You haven't spoken since we began, Ryu. Any thoughts?"

The black Yoshi stayed quiet for another few moments before he answered.

"I do think that it'd be better if Bowser were to be taken by the Resistance, but only if they'll agree to carry out a punishment in exchange."

Ryu looked at everyone around the table, all waiting expectantly for him to continue.

"The punishment has two parts to it. The first is that, whether or not he is entirely responsible for what's happening in the rest of the Kingdom, that he give his aid to the Resistance's cause. Wario and Toadsworth can decide how he helps them."

A tiny smirk began to grow on Wario's face as Ryu spoke.

"Secondly, once the Kingdom has been freed, Bowser's first priority will be to make up for the damage he caused to the island. The four of us can decide how those amends are made."

Ryu's peers exchanged glances, and Sumo turned to face Toadsworth.

"We'll talk amongst ourselves for a short bit, if that's all right."

"Of course. Come, Master Wario."

The chubby treasure hunter glared at the huge unconscious Koopa before walking out, Toadsworth following in his wake. Hinote whispered heatedly.

"What are you THINKING? The bastard turtle has to PAY! No one wants his treasure, they want his HIDE!"

"He's right, Ryu. I don't want to make enemies of these people, but they don't have any right to-"

"Quiet, Kuuchuu. Ryu, we've all lost our mentors here, but you lost even more than that. I would have thought that you _especially _would have-"

The Dragon tribe warrior spoke softly, his eyes locked back onto Bowser's form.

"He's like me."

"What?"

"Bowser. I saw his subconscious. He's like those of my tribe."

The other three Yoshi warriors turned to look at the sleeping Koopa, listening to Ryu's words at the same time.

"He has a monster within. THAT is what we saw today, what destroyed so much of our island and killed so many of our people. IT was in control, not him. But-"

Hinote finished Ryu's thought.

"But he still has to take responsibility."

Ryu nodded, and all four warriors rose in unison, wordlessly understanding that the meeting was over. One by one, they walked out. Moments later, Wario returned, dragging the King of Koopas out by his spiked tail.

* * *

The scene changes one last time, and we see Ryu returning to the former prison.

* * *

Ryu picked out the glowing emerald from under the pile of leaves, letting himself fall back against the cool stone wall. He sank to the floor, admiring the brilliance of the white gemstone.

"My condolences."

The black Yoshi started as Ronin's cloaked figure walked toward him.

"I was wondering if you'd left. Condolences?"

The disguised samurai sat against the wall opposite Ryu, lowering the hood of his cloak.

"No, I was staying hidden. I have a feeling the new arrivals might not take much of a liking to me. Condolences for your father. Why didn't he get some kind of passing ritual like the others?"

Ryu smiled sadly.

"The ceremony for any tribe needs the remains, and even though we searched under the rubble, he got buried too deep. But I think he might have wanted it this way."

"How so?"

"The usual funeral for a member of the Dragon tribe is to take the body out to sea and let it drift in the ocean. It comes from the legend of the Forbidden Dragon, and how its body turned into the island we live on now. But father, he devoted his life to improving the way things were here, for everyone. I think that if he had been taken out to sea, he would have ended up back here anyway. He loved this island."

There was a pause between the two warriors for several minutes, both taking in the natural sounds of Yoshi island. The wildlife had begun to return, birds sang in the midday sunlight, gentle breezes whistled over the ground, small waves splashed against the shore. Ronin finally rose, moving to stand next to Ryu.

"I'm sorry that I have to ask this of you, my friend, but time is something I don't have a lot of anymore."

"What do you need from me?"

The enigmatic samurai locked his eyes onto the bright jewel in Ryu's hands.

"I need you to help me get back home..."


End file.
